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COPYING!IT DEPOSIT. 









Studies of Great Bible Characters 


A New Method for Bible Classes 

By HENRY T. SELL 

Each, Papcr y 50 cts. - Cloth, 75 cts. 


LATEST ISSUES 

Studies of Great Bible Characters. 
Bible Studies in Vital Questions. 
Studies in the Four Gospels. 

EIGHT BOOKS 
In Order of Publication 

Supplemental Bible Studies. 

Bible Studies by Books. 

Bible Studies by Periods. 

Bible Studies by Doctrines. 

Bible Studies in the Life of Christ. 
Bible Studies in the Life of Paul. 
Studies in the Life of the Christian. 
Studies in Early Church History. 


f 






Studies of Great Bible 
Characters 


By 

HENRY T. SELL, D. D. 


Author of The Sell Series of Bible Studies 
for Adult Classes 



) 


New York 


Chicago 


Fleming 

London 



Revell Company 

Edinburgh 


AND , 



Copyright, 1923 , by 

FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 


.BSst t 

• S4 





New York: 158 Fifth Avenue 
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. 
London: 21 Paternoster Square 
Edinburgh: 75 Princes Street 

DEC -5 *23 

©C1A7G6179 


-w* f 


Foreword 






j *\HIS book is a short course, through the Old 
and New Testaments, of twenty-one 
“ Studies of Great Bible Characters.” 

There is here presented a number of biographies 
of men who were the outstanding and strategic lead¬ 
ers of their own times. They not only moulded the 
thought and directed the action of the ages in which 
they lived but to-day are even more influential. 

They realized, were profoundly influenced by, and 
worked enthusiastically for ideals and principles 
which still lead us on. They had their faults. They 
were very human. They made mistakes, of which 
they bitterly repented, but above every other desire 
was that of bringing in the kingdom of God on earth; 
this is their glory. 

Their problems, under other guises and in dif¬ 
ferent circumstances, are our problems. It is of 
great interest to us to see how they worked them 
out in order that we may be better able to solve ours. 

These men were hardy adventurers on the sea of 
life, who, buffeted and beset by violent storms, still 
came safely to port, with rich cargoes. How they 
did this will richly repay the most careful study. In 
their successes they rise above their nationality and 
become of interest to the people of every nationality 
and every age. 

An effort is here made not only to get at the 



6 


Foreword 


underlying truths and principles which guided these 
men but also to set forth the practical lessons, in 
them, for us, to-day. 

Of the importance of this sort of study Dr. W. L. 
Phelps, Professor of English Literature in Yale 
University, says in a recent book, “ I thoroughly be¬ 
lieve in a university education for both men and 
women; but I believe a knowledge of the Bible, with¬ 
out a college course, is more valuable than a college 
course without the Bible.” 

This book is intended to be added to and take the 
eleventh place in the author’s “ Ten Books of Bible 
Studies.” It is to be used as they have been in the 
Adult Bible Gass, Schools, Colleges, private study, 
etc. The author is profoundly grateful for the large 
favour with which his former books have been re¬ 
ceived. 

Henry T. Sell. 

New York s N. Y. 


Contents 


I. Abraham.9 

The Man Who Dared to Trust God. 

II. Isaac.17 

The Challenge of Obedience. 

III. Jacob ...... 23 

The Sharp Trader Who Mended 
His Ways. 

IV. Joseph. 31 

The Dreamer Whose Dreams Came 
True. 

V. Moses. 39 

The Leader and Lawgiver of a 
Nation. 

VI. Joshua. 45 

The Courageous Man With a Hard 
Task. 

VII. Saul. 51 

The Man Who Abused His Oppor¬ 
tunities. 

VIII. David. 57 

The Self-Co7iqueror Who Became 
King. 

IX. Nehemiah. 65 

The Man With Many Enemies. 

Job ..... < 

The Man of Undeserved Suffering. 

7 


X. 


72 


Contents 


8 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 

XX. 

XXI. 


Isaiah.78 

The World Prophet and Statesman. 

Jeremiah.85 

The Man Who Kept Faith Under 
Hard Limitations. 

Ezekiel.91 

The Man Who Had Great Visions. 

Daniel.98 

The Man Who Made Advantage 
Out of Disadvantage. 

Habakkuk .104 

The Man Who Questioned God's 
World Policies. 

Matthew .no 

The Man Who Saw World Hopes 
Realized . 

Mark.118 

The Man Who Wrote of Christ's 
Power. 

Luke.126 

The Man Who Broadcasted the 
Gospel Good News. 

John.133 

The Man Who Listened-in Across 
the Void. 

Peter. 141 

The Ascending Man. 

Paul . . ... 149 

The Man Who Bettered City Con¬ 
ditions. 


I 


ABRAHAM 

THE MAN WHO DARED TO TRUST GOD 

A New Beginning was made in the history of 
mankind with Abraham. He stands out as a com¬ 
manding figure. He was of the same stuff that great 
leaders of men and explorers are made. He had 
daring. He had splendid executive ability. He was 
large-hearted and far-sighted. He would have made 
an eminent statesman or victorious general had the 
opportunity presented itself. Yet he is known for 
none of these qualities which are written large on the 
face of his career. He is known, however, as “ The 
Man Who Dared To Trust God ” upon what seemed 
to be a bare promise. He left kindred and home 
and country upon the call of God—the God whom 
his neighbours did not know, and did not care for. 
He was a pioneer Pilgrim facing a new land with new 
and difficult things to meet and conquer. He headed 
a new order of a spiritual kingdom of those who 
strive to obey the “ Inner Voice ” and to be not only 
worshippers but friends of the “ Living God.” A 
Gentile, he was the founder of the Israelitish Nation. 
The name “ Israel ” was first given to his grandson, 
Jacob. 

The Environment of any man is often looked 
upon as having much to do in shaping his life. 
Favourable circumstances make favoured men. 

9 


lo Studies of Great Bible Characters 

Unfavourable surroundings keep men down. 
Such is the theory. But this theory did not work 
with Abraham. He lived in the midst of the basest 
kind of idolatry yet of an advanced civilization. 
Chaldea, long before the time of Abraham, was a 
well-settled country. There were great cities with 
magnificent temples, splendid palaces, and exten¬ 
sive libraries. The arts were well known; there 
were skilled workers in fabrics, metals, stones, im¬ 
plements, weapons and armaments. Time was di¬ 
vided then as it is now. There was a post-office 
system; sealed letters could be sent. The parcel 
post was in full operation. The city of Ur was 
one of the most splendid of all the cities. It was 
the seat of the great temple of the moon-god. 
Looked at from the outside, nothing seemed fairer 
than this highly adorned civilization. But inside it 
was honeycombed with the basest sort of immoral¬ 
ities. The people's religion exalted the evils that 
destroyed all virtue, and finally killed the civiliza¬ 
tion. The recovered, dug-up, monuments of this 
age show that all the Bible says of this worst side 
of Chaldean civilization to be literally true. 

Had Abraham been a product of his, this, en¬ 
vironment we would never have heard of him. He 
was called to come out. He came out—to head a 
new movement. 

The Significance of Abraham's life is religious. 
To miss this is to miss the whole meaning of the 
narrative. While other men seek for glory, or 
honour, or simply to live comfortably, Abraham is de¬ 
sirous only of obeying God. It is a singular fact that 


Abraham 


11 


of the many eminent men of his times—mighty kings, 
merchant princes, eminent scholars—Abraham’s 
name alone has attained universal fame. 

The Account of Abraham’s life is found in Gen¬ 
esis 11: 26-25:10. The salient features, by chapters, 
are: First —chapter 11:26-32—Birth of Abraham. 
Removal of Terah with Abraham and his wife, from 
Ur of the Chaldees to Haran. It seems to have been 
the intention of Terah to go to Canaan but he only 
got to Haran and died there. Second —chapter 12— 
Abraham receives his call with its promises and bless¬ 
ings. 

He leaves Haran for Canaan with his wife, Sarah, 
and his nephew Lot. Shortly, finding a famine, he 
goes down into Egypt. Third —chapter 13—Abra¬ 
ham returns out of Egypt to Canaan. He becomes 
very rich. There is strife between the herdmen of 
Abraham and Lot. Abraham to settle all disputes 
offers Lot his choice of land. Lot takes the best 
and in doing so pitches his tent toward Sodom. 
Fourth —chapter 14—Battle of the kings. Lot is 
taken prisoner and is rescued by Abraham. Fifth — 
chapter 15—Renewal of the great promises of bless¬ 
ing and prosperity to Abraham. Sixth —chapters 16 
and 17—The desire of Abraham and Sarah for a 
child. Seventh —chapters 18 and 19—A child is 
promised Abraham and Sarah. The destruction of 
Sodom is foretold to Abraham. He pleads for the 
city but it is so evil that even Abraham gives up. 
Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed while Lot is 
saved. Eighth —chapters 20 and 21—Abraham goes 
to Gerar. A son is born to Sarah. Ninth —chapters 



12 


Studies of Great Bible Characters 


22 to 25: 8—The asked-for sacrifice of Isaac. Get¬ 
ting a wife for Isaac. Death of Abraham. 

The Call of Abraham (12:1-3).—What was it? 
How did he become aware of it? Was it an audible 
voice? No one can answer these questions because 
Abraham is not here to tell us. We know that what¬ 
ever it was, and however it was given to him, he 
acted upon it to the extent of completely severing all 
his relations with his former associates and going to 
a far-away land with his wife, his nephew, Lot, and 
his retainers. He journeyed southward to Canaan. 
For a man, seventy-five years old, with fixed habits, 
it was a big change. We do not read that he ever 
returned to Haran, even to make a visit. He did not 
go to better his condition in the world, or for 
honour, or preferment, or for the sake of adventure. 
It was for conscience’ sake. At the time it seemed 
to him that he was giving up everything, except his 
immediate family, and going into certain physical 
hardships, but he was more than willing if God 
wanted it so. 

Elements of the call: 

First: It was a call to face difficulties which from 
their unknown character seemed to assume a terrify¬ 
ing aspect. 

Second: It was to advocate the cause of God whom 
no one knew anything about and whom no one cared 
about. If His cause prevailed it meant the destruc¬ 
tion of the old religion of the land. It would brook 
no compromises. In these days we do well to think 
of what a radical change this meant in all depart¬ 
ments of life. 


Abraham 


*3 

Third: It was to break up the old and valued as¬ 
sociations of years. 

Fourth: It was a call to stand for that which vio¬ 
lated all the social and national customs. 

Fifth: It meant the founding of a new spiritual 
order and the building up of a nation to carry on 
this new work. Why? What we see now, and that 
which every schoolboy knows, about the utter de¬ 
struction of the old and evil civilizations of Babylon 
and Assyria and all those old nations, God foresaw 
when He called Abraham. He wanted a man to do 
this work, which He knew must be done, and He 
selected Abraham to do it. 

The Promises to Abraham. —Men are always 
trying to get other men to do things for them with¬ 
out any compensation. They attempt to drive sharp 
bargains. They strive to buy in a cheap market and 
sell in a dear one. Whenever possible they cut 
wages. Those who work for wages too often strive 
to do as little work as they can while, at the same 
time, they endeavour to advance their pay. This 
makes the hardship of life. There is enough for all 
but a few try to corner the market—to get all they 
can and to give back as little as they can. Not so 
God. Read carefully the promises God made to 
Abraham and note how much He promises him and 
how often the promises are repeated. Note also, as 
we can note now, after all these years, that there is 
not one single promise that has not been more than 
redeemed and made good. 

We count at least six of God’s promises to Abra¬ 
ham. First —chapter 12:2, 3—“ And I will make of 


14 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

thee a great nation, and I will bless thee and make 
thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And 
I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that 
curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the 
earth be blessed.” Second —chapter 12:7. Third — 
chapter 13:14 to 17—“ And I will make thy seed as 
the dust of the earth,” etc. Fourth —chapters 15, 17 
and 18 contain just one promise after another. 
Fifth —chapter 21:12. Sixth —chapter 22:17, 18— 
“ That in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying 
I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, 
or as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy 
seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in 
thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” 
Abraham, giving up all and not knowing how it 
would come out, has certainly been well repaid. This 
same thought of a liberal, and a rewarding God, runs 
all through the New Testament. See Matthew 
25: 34-40. 

The Lapses of Abraham are recorded with equal 
fidelity with those of his excellencies. Take the case 
where he denied his wife because he failed to trust 
God to the uttermost—12:11-20—and received a lec¬ 
ture from the king of Egypt. There is no attempt 
to gloss over this account. There is this to be said 
of Abraham that he repents of his lapses and tries 
to do better. Many a man lapses and continues to 
lapse with no thought of doing better. 

The Magnanimity of this great man is shown 
in his treatment of Lot, his nephew. First —chapter 
13—Abraham permits Lot to choose all the best land 
for his share, when there is a dispute. He does not 



Abraham 


15 


even ask for arbitration. “ You/' he says, “ take 
what you like and I will take what is left.” Here is 
a man who will give up all rather than quarrel. Sec¬ 
ond —chapter 14—When Lot is captured and taken 
away by looters, Abraham does not say—“ It serves 
him right for choosing the best land and leaving me 
the worst.” He organizes a force to rescue Lot and 
rescues him. Third —chapter 18—Again, when 
Abraham learns that Sodom, where Lot lives, is 
about to be destroyed, he pleads for it. 

The Man Who Dared to Trust God, not simply 
to say he believed Him but to trust Him implicitly, 
is this same man Abraham. He cast himself out on 
His promises and went out “ not knowing whither 
he went.” But he went because God told him to go. 
That was enough. There is many a man, to-day, 
who feels that he ought to do certain things. He 
knows that God has spoken to him but he does not 
dare to do what he knows he ought to do. Life is a 
dare. It is a venture for every man. No one can 
predict the outcome of the venture. Business is a 
dare. Marriage is a dare. Religion is a dare. How 
do we know that the God in whom we believe will 
keep His word with us? We have to trust Him as 
Abraham did. We have to rely on His promises. 

The Blessing of Abraham’s Life! —Who can 
measure it? When God called Abraham, out from 
his country and his people, He is reported as saying, 
“ I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless 
thee and make thy name great: and thou shalt be 
a blessing.” All this has been literally fulfilled. He 
is the father of a great nation. His name is great— 



16 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


it is revered by the adherents of three great religions, 
The Christian, The Jewish and The Mohammedan. 
He has made it easier to worship and love God. 
He showed how a man can live uprightly under the 
most trying circumstances. 

Questions.—What can be said about the new 
beginning God made with Abraham? What can be 
said about the environment of Abraham’s life? 
What is the significance of his life? Give some ac¬ 
count of the nine points noted in the account of 
Abraham’s life. How did Abraham become aware 
of his call? What can be said of this call? What 
can be said of the promises? Are Abraham’s lapses 
recorded with the same fidelity as his excellencies? 
What can be said of his magnanimity and of his 
daring to trust God? What can be said of the bless¬ 
ing of Abraham’s life? 


II 


ISAAC 

THE CHALLENGE OF OBEDIENCE 

The Story of Isaac is told in Genesis 21:3 to 
35: 29. He did not have the striking characteristics 
of Abraham, or of his famous son, Jacob. He suf¬ 
fers, somewhat, from being placed between two such 
rugged, outstanding characters. Yet, in his own way, 
he is equally eminent. 

His Youth was spent under very different sur¬ 
roundings from that of his father. His home-life 
was a sheltered one. As the son of a great man, of 
large influence, rich in gold, silver, land and large 
herds of cattle, he was treated with great respect 
and honour. He was subjected to none of the temp¬ 
tations of a heathen city, where the very temples of 
the gods invited to a dissolute life. His bringing-up 
was by a father and mother who believed in the one 
true God. He was the one through whom the prom¬ 
ise of “ The Blessing of the Whole World Was To 
Come. ,, 

The Choice of a Plan of Life.—No matter where 
one may be born or under what favourable or un¬ 
favourable circumstances, there must always come a 
time when the choice has to be made of a plan of 
life. The sculptor takes a lump of clay in his hands. 
He kneads it and moulds it. He holds it up and you 

1 7 


18 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


see the face of a satyr or a saint. Isaac, being of a 
meditative turn of mind, must have often pondered 
upon what he would be and do. How could he make 
his life count? So far as wealth was concerned— 
he was heir to that. So far as honour was concerned 
—every one honoured him. In deciding what to do 
there is the difficulty of having things, and the diffi¬ 
culty of not having them. 

The Challenge of Obedience. —It is a singular 
thing that when a man does not openly choose for 
himself what he will be, and do, then the choice is 
thrust upon him and he is compelled to choose. This 
was the case with Isaac, as we shall see later. He 
had decision after decision thrust upon him. That 
he chose so well is greatly to his credit. There is a 
challenge to disobedience as well as obedience. The 
temptation to break out into prodigality—to burst 
the bands that bind us in our places—is inherent in 
many hearts. Some people call it the desire for 
liberty. Others give it a truer name in the desire 
for license. But much more than the challenge to 
disobedience do we have to meet the challenge to 
obedience—to keep within and obey the laws of 
physical, mental and moral health. To Isaac came 
the challenge to preserve, and build up that heritage 
that came to him through his father and his father's 
God. 

Three Incidents in Isaac's Life show the temper 
of the man. We judge every one by the way in which 
he meets trials that are thrust upon him. 

The First Incident is that of His Ordered 
Sacrifice. —The account of this is found in Genesis, 


Isaac 


l 9 

chapter 22. The first three verses read as follows: 
“ And it came to pass after these things that God 
did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: 
and he said, Behold here I am. And he said, Take 
now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, 
and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him 
there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains 
of which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up 
early in the morning, and saddled his ass and took 
two of his young men with him, and Isaac, his son, 
and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose 
up, and went unto the place of which God had told 
him.” 

The singular thing about this narrative is that 
Isaac seemed to understand the part he was to play, 
as the burnt offering, and yet he made no objection. 
He did ask his father where the burnt offering was 
to come from. But Isaac made no objection to be 
bound and placed upon the pile of wood in readiness 
for the knife and the fire. Here was a great chal¬ 
lenge of obedience. Isaac certainly stood the test. 
In regard to this incident it should be said that in 
those times human sacrifices were common things 
in religious rites. It was a big thing for Isaac to 
submit. We revolt at it because of our long train¬ 
ing in Christian principles. In regard to this whole 
matter Professor Phelps says in his book—“ Human 
Nature in the Bible ”—“ I do not share in the com¬ 
mon opinion that Abraham did wrong in offering up 
his son Isaac (and in Isaac’s consent to be offered 
up). On the contrary it is one of the most splendid 
of all his recorded deeds. , . . There are to-day. 


20 


Studies of Great Bible Characters 


however, many conscientious objectors; they say that 
Abraham’s obedience to God is fine, but when he 
was asked to give the life of his own son, he would 
have shown more nobility and righteousness had he 
flatly refused. . . . Yet men in our day not only 

consider it right to give the lives of their sons for 
what they regard as a higher call, but are universally 
honoured for doing so. What would be the general 
opinion of a man who, during the years of 1914- 
1918, had said, ‘No; I love my son too much to 
sacrifice his life at his country’s command; it can¬ 
not be right for a father to give up his own son/ 
Millions of parents followed Abraham’s example in 
response to what they believed the call of duty. They 
not only did not feel any shame—they felt exalted. 
Do you remember President Lincoln’s letter to the 
mother who had sacrificed five sons for her coun¬ 
try? ” All honour to Isaac who stood such a test as 
the one above. 

It should he kept in mind, in reading this story, 
that the narrative shows that it was not the inten¬ 
tion of God that Isaac should be sacrificed. It is 
related as a test and challenge of obedience. 

The Second Incident is that of His Marriage 
(Genesis 24:1-67).—This is one of the most beau¬ 
tifully written chapters in the Bible. It is a love 
story full of dramatic interest. Abraham is very de¬ 
sirous that his son shall be happily and well married 
—that it shall be a suitable marriage with one of his 
own station in life, and suited to him in every way. 
The narrative seems to imply that Isaac was fully 
informed of all the arrangements made whereby 


Isaac 


21 


Rebekah finally became his wife. Everything was 
aboveboard. There was nothing secret or clandes¬ 
tine in the whole affair whereby Isaac obtained a 
good wife. Here the challenge of obedience to right 
things was met once more by Isaac. He found hap¬ 
piness and great happiness inside the law of marriage 
in the regular order. 

The Third Incident is that of Giving U,p to 
Others. —The story is told in Genesis 26:17-22. 
It is the narrative of how Isaac’s herdsmen digged a 
well to water their flocks and herds and their right 
to the well was disputed. They digged a second 
well and again their right was disputed. They left 
both these wells in possession of those who objected 
to their having them and went and digged a third 
well where they had peaceful possession. Here, 
again, we see Isaac meeting the challenge of obedi¬ 
ence to a higher law. 

What is the higher law? How does It work? 
There are three rules by which people live and have 
things. First —Get all you can and give back as 
little as you can for what you get. This is the atti¬ 
tude of the sponge, if the sponge can have an atti¬ 
tude. It is the soaking up of everything possible. 
Observing this rule makes for unhappiness and bit¬ 
terness. Second —Give an exact equivalent for what 
you get—no more—no less. For a good word—give 
a good word. For an evil word—an evil word. For 
a blow—a blow. The man who observes this rule 
never gets on very far—he is always watching what 
the other man is going to do to him and he wants to 
be first to do the other man. Third —Do a little more 


22 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

than is asked of you. Be a little kinder than is ex¬ 
pected. Give a better bargain than the buyer looked 
for. Give up when your opponent does not expect 
it. Isaac seems to have fully understood and acted 
on this higher, or third law, in the case of the dis¬ 
puted wells. 

Questions.—Where is the story of Isaac told? 
How does he differ from his father and son? What 
can be said about his youth ? What about the choice 
of a plan of life? The challenge of obedience? 
What three incidents in Isaac’s life show his temper 
as a man? What is the first incident and its teach¬ 
ing? What the second? What the third? 


Ill 


JACOB 

THE SHARP TRADER WHO MENDED HIS WAYS 

The World Famous Twins.—Esau and Jacob. 
Their birth and what they did, when they grew up, 
we find recorded in Genesis 25 : 21-49 : 33. 

Characteristics (Genesis 25 : 27).—“And the boys 
grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the 
field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.” 
It is possible, from this and other descriptive pas¬ 
sages, to get a very clear picture of what these men 
were like. 

Esau, “ a man of the field,” a hunter with a quick 
ear and a keen eye; a hairy body burned black by 
the sun; no man knew the haunts of game better 
than he. But he lacked a sense of moral values. A 
son of Isaac and Rebekah and presumably—although 
not really—the heir of the promises given to Abra¬ 
ham—Genesis 25:23—he would have none of the 
religion of his father and mother. He sought the 
society and companionship of the roistering Canaan- 
ites. He participated in their pagan rites and 
heathen dances. He took to himself two Canaanite 
wives. From start to finish of his career he is the 
same. 

Jacob, “ a plain man dwelling in tents.” A shrewd 
man with a keen mind that can look far into the 

2 3 


24 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

future. He had great tenacity of purpose. He could 
wait—when he wanted anything—for years to get it. 
Witness his waiting fourteen years—and serving a 
hard master—to get his wife Rachel. In the matter 
of getting the birthright—before this—from Esau he 
waited for just exactly the right time and then he 
sprung the trap. He was a sharp trader with an 
eye, ever open, to further his own interests. He 
seems to have had two natures struggling within 
him for the ascendency; that of the man who will 
get what he wants by fair means or foul and that 
which desires to be true to all that is right and good 
and to come into close personal communion with 
God. It is the struggle of these two natures—and 
the triumph of the better—that we watch in the rec¬ 
ord of his career. 

A Birthright Despised and Sold (Genesis 25: 28- 
34).—This is not only the story of an age-old 
transaction. It is right up to the minute. This 
morning—every morning—all the daily newspapers 
had it—with a change of names—on their front 
pages. It is the plot of “The Best Seller” and the 
latest magazine story. Inherited honour, truth, 
chastity, a good name, wealth—one or two or all— 
are in the possession of those who are willing to sell 
them and do sell them for a little sense gratification. 
The sharp trader, Jacob, is always ready to buy and 
does buy, as of old for a mess of pottage. The bit¬ 
ter cry of Esau, the victimized, is ever with us. The 
original story is that Esau came in faint, from hunt¬ 
ing, and found Jacob cooking some red pottage. The 
smell of it was good to a man as hungry as he was. 


Jacob 


25 

He wanted some at once. Jacob, knowing his nature, 
that he would give anything to gratify his appetite, 
saw that the time was ripe to get the birthright. The 
bargain was struck. Jacob made Esau swear to the 
bargain. He did so gladly; for at the time he de¬ 
spised his birthright as a thing afar off. What cared 
he so long as he could satisfy a present appetite! 

The Stolen Blessing (Genesis 27:1-41).—After 
the sale of the birthright the days come and go. 
Things seem much the same as before. A man 
crosses the line between evil and good, honesty and 
dishonesty, virtue and no virtue and seems to come 
back much as he was before. Why should he worry 
or fret himself about the payment for his indiscre¬ 
tions? Nothing has happened to him. In fact he 
counts himself quite superior to the man who does 
not cross the line between good and evil. So it must 
have seemed to Esau that after all he had got the 
better of Jacob, his canny brother. But wait! He 
has forgotten that the mortgage he gave on his birth¬ 
right is about to be foreclosed. He cannot watch 
everything. His mother is looking out for Jacob. 
When she hears Isaac ask Esau to go and get him 
some venison, that he may eat and give him the 
“ Birthright Blessing ” before he dies, she is all at¬ 
tention. How Esau must have laughed to himself 
that although he had sold his birthright he would get 
it after all. Esau goes to get the venison. Mean¬ 
time Rebekah gets very busy with Jacob and pre¬ 
paring a savoury meal, she fixes him up to represent 
Esau; sends him in to Isaac, who is deceived into 
giving him the “ Birthright Blessing.” No excuse, 


26 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


whatever, is given in this narrative for the deception 
of Rebekah and Jacob, in stealing the blessing. It is 
stated as a fact. Esau returns to find the “ Birth¬ 
right Blessing” bestowed on Jacob, “And he cried 
with an exceeding bitter cry.” 

The day of reckoning had come, as it always 
comes. Esau begs and pleads and threatens but he 
has lost the chief blessing. Now he hates Jacob and 
threatens to kill him—forgetting that he, himself, is 
the one upon whom the blame should rest. 

Breaking Home Ties (Genesis 27:42-28:22).— 
It is one thing when a young man voluntarily goes 
away from home to better himself. It is quite an¬ 
other when he is forced to leave home, on account 
of something he has done, that makes it impossible 
for him to remain. Jacob was forced out because 
of the threat of Esau to kill him. Jacob is now get¬ 
ting a little of his punishment—more later on. Re¬ 
bekah, ever looking out for Jacob, advises him to go 
away for a while until Esau’s anger shall cool. A 
virtue is made of the necessity and it is given out 
that he is going to Haran to get a wife. There is no 
enthusiastic send-off for Jacob. He goes out alone 
and unattended. His deception does not seem as 
good to him as it seemed a while ago. He has the 
“ Birthright Blessing ” but what good is it going to 
do him? It seems, just now, to be sending him out 
into a cold and unfriendly world. 

A Wonderful Dream (Genesis 28:10-22).—The 
first night of a man away from home, who has never 
been away from home before, is very trying. Jacob 
was led to think of many things. He must have 


Jacob 


27 


wondered if, after all, he had been so very sharp 
and shrewd. He had doubtless prided himself on the 
way he had got ahead of thick-witted Esau but now 
he must have asked himself if it really paid—since 
his grasping nature had sent him out into a desert 
place. He was not nearly as sure of himself as he 
had been. Thinking these thoughts he fell asleep, 
with a stone for a pillow. He had a wonderful 
dream. There are those who tell us that our real 
nature comes out in dreams. There we come face 
to face with our real desires and hopes. It may be 
that humbled by his failure to get on through his 
shrewdness Jacob’s better nature was coming to the 
front. Anyway he had a dream of a great staircase 
with the angels ascending and descending upon it 
and God standing at the top and declaring that He 
renewed for him the promises given to Abraham— 
Genesis 28:13, 14. Jacob here makes vows and a 
covenant with God. The better nature of this man 
is coming to the front. But he has to be sorely tried 
as we shall see a little farther on. 

Serving Fourteen Years for a Wife (Genesis 
29: 1-31:55).—The shrewd, sharp trader meets 
sooner or later one who is shrewder and sharper than 
he is. A man who is always trying to get the better 
of other people will, in the end, find his match. In 
due course of time Jacob came to the home of Laban, 
his uncle, an exceedingly kind, affable man, who 
would assure you most cordially that everything he 
had was at your disposal and then he would turn 
around and fleece you of your last penny. Jacob 
fell in love with Rachel the daughter of Laban and 


) 


28 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


made a bargain with Laban to serve for her for 
seven years. When the seven years were up, Laban 
tricked him and he had to serve another seven years, 
without pay. The narrative as it goes on shows how, 
in sharp bargaining between Laban and Jacob, it 
was diamond cut diamond. 

Back Home Again (Genesis 32:1-33 : 20).— Rich 
in flocks and herds, and with his family Jacob starts 
to return to the land of his birth. He is quite elated 
by what he possesses. He has done very well and 
he will exhibit his prosperity. He went forth with 
only his staff and now he returns laden with goods. 
Jacob sends messengers before him to inform Esau 
that he comes. He instructs the messengers to tell 
his brother of his flocks and herds and what an im¬ 
portant man he has become. But when the mes¬ 
sengers come to Esau, they find that he is on the 
march with four hundred men to meet Jacob. That 
is the answer to Jacob’s boasting of his prosperity. 
It does not count at all with Esau. Jacob is afraid 
and rightly so. He finally arranges matters so that 
he will try to save his family. He divides his flocks 
and herds into bands so that one band after another 
shall meet Esau, as presents, and appease him, if 
possible. There is no disguising that he is in fear 
of his life and that of his family. All his arrogance 
is gone. 

The Sharp Trader Who Mended His Ways 

(Genesis 32:24-32).—“And Jacob was left alone ” 
after he had made all possible arrangements for the 
safety of his family. That verse accurately describes 
the position of Jacob. He was alone. His position, 


Jacob 


29 


his flocks and his herds, counted for naught. He 
felt stripped of all that he had so shrewdly and suc¬ 
cessfully worked for. He not only was alone but he 
felt the isolation. He expected nothing now but that 
Esau would do just as he had said he would do, 
years ago, kill him. He had no earthly friend to 
depend upon. He could do nothing himself. There 
remained only God. Take the narrative, as it is. God 
wrestled with Jacob. Jacob wrestled with God. 
What is there out of the way here ? That man should 
wrestle with God for a blessing—to find, in the end, 
peace and comfort is an every-day occurrence. 
Men, who come to the end of their resources, must 
come to God. There is no other to whom they can 
come. Anyway, from this time on, Jacob was a 
changed man. He had mended his ways. His better 
nature he allowed to come to the front. His feet 
were on the upward path. God could and did use 
him, as He had not aforetime. He had prevailed 
with God and God had prevailed with him. The 
whole story is that of a man’s giving his soul a 
chance, in being obedient to God, and in coming into 
communion with Him. Esau met Jacob in the ut¬ 
most friendliness and would receive no present of 
him. If a man is right with God, he is right with 
the whole world. 

The Success of Jacob was not so much in his 
wealth of land and herds as it was in what he was 
able to do with a naturally mean and grasping dis¬ 
position. And the change in this disposition was 
not due to any particular resolutions or determina¬ 
tions on his part but to his being willing to follow. 


30 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

whole heartedly, the promptings of his God. Jacob 
has his place to-day because of his success in his 
inner life. 

Questions.—Where is the story of the world 
famous twins found? What are the characteristics 
of Esau and Jacob? What is meant by a birthright 
despised and sold? What can be said of the stolen 
blessing? How did Jacob come to break his home 
ties? Describe the wonderful dream of Jacob and 
what it was to him. What about the fourteen years 
Jacob served for Rachel? In coming back home 
what did Jacob desire to do first of all? How did 
the sharp trader mend his ways ? What was the suc¬ 
cess of Jacob’s life? 


IV 


JOSEPH 

THE DREAMER WHOSE DREAMS CAME TRUE 

The Life of Joseph, from the time he was seven¬ 
teen years old until his death, is recorded in Genesis 
37: 2 to 50: 26. He was the son of Jacob and Rachel. 
He has been called—“ The Strongest and Most Lov¬ 
able Character in Genesis.” Aside from his own, 
individual career, he is an episode in the life of 
Jacob. 

With Joseph closes the patriarchal line —Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob—and the tribal and national life of 
“ The Chosen People ” begins under Moses. We 
have here related how the way was opened for this 
chosen race to come down into Egypt and develop 
and grow strong, under the most favourable circum¬ 
stances. Pharaoh favoured them in every way. Had 
they remained in Canaan during this formative pe¬ 
riod, they would not have been permitted to expand, 
the way they did, without exciting the jealousy and 
bitter enmity of their warlike neighbours. As it was, 
after they had multiplied to a great host and another 
Pharaoh was on the throne, the Egyptians tried to 
curb their growth by increasing their tasks and other 
means. But it was too late. They had become too 
strong. Strong enough to go through the grueling 
trial of “ The Forty Years’ Wandering ” and to make 

3 1 


32 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

themselves, in due time, masters of Canaan—“ The 
Promised Land,” as it had been foretold. 

The Shepherd Boy (Genesis 37:1-4). — His life 
reads like a romance. From the sheepfold he was 
raised, in a few short years, to be the chief ruler, 
under Pharaoh, of one of the mightiest empires the 
world has ever seen. But he had to take a course 
in the University of Hard Knocks which few would 
care to undertake even for so great a prize. 

He is the favoured one of all the sons of Jacob. 
That favour is shown by a distinctive dress. It was 
the sort of coat that was the garb of the aristocracy 
and of the leisure class, while his brethren were 
clothed in the rough and ready clothes of shepherds. 
Seen together, he at once stood forth as the superior 
in station. No wonder that he aroused the jealousy 
and hatred of his brethren. Jacob ought to have 
known better. He ought to have looked back to his 
own boyhood and remembered his experiences with 
his brother, Esau. 

The Dreamer (Genesis 37:5-11).—It is not at all 
strange that a bright lad, of seventeen years of age, 
should begin to think and dream of the future, of 
what he would be and do. Joseph had been clothed 
in a garb which showed, at a glance, his station above 
his brethren. He had been petted and pampered at 
home. What more natural than he should dream 
about his brethren coming and bowing down to him, 
in sheaves bowing down to a sheaf? It is exactly 
in the line of his bringing up that he should dream 
again of the sun and moon and eleven stars “ making 
obeisance to me.” Again we see the attitude of 


Jacob in that he seems to acquiesce in the outlook of 
Joseph. Looked at, however, in the light of sub¬ 
sequent events, these dreams were literally fulfilled. 

The whole question of dreams is a puzzling one 
which no man has been able to solve. Some dreams 
are the result of indigestion; some of our own hopes 
and fears; some of the favourable or unfavourable 
circumstances in which we happen to be at the time. 
But, after all the possible explanations have been 
made, there still remain dreams which we cannot 
explain; in these men are warned, encouraged and 
even given glimpses of the future. Modern thought 
does not encourage us to say much about our dreams 
or to rely upon them. Joseph, when he came to the 
place where his brethren and his father did obeisance 
to him, must have harked back to his dreams, when 
he was a lad seventeen years old. 

Sold into Egypt (Genesis 37:12-36 and 39: 1- 
23).—If Joseph’s distinctive dress aroused the envy 
and jealousy of his brethren much more his dreams so 
infuriated them that—“ They conspired against him 
to slay him.” An opportunity was given them to 
wreak their hatred upon him when Jacob sent him to 
them to see how they were getting along. As he 
came near Dothan, where they were feeding the 
flocks, they saw him afar off—“And they said one to 
another, Behold this dreamer cometh. Come now, 
therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some 
pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured 
him: and we shall see what will become of his 
dreams.” Reuben saves Joseph from death by per¬ 
suading the rest to put him into the pit. 


34 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

The pit was a big jug-shaped cistern with a small 
mouth over which a stone could be placed. This sort 
of cistern was dug by the shepherds to store water 
for their flocks and herds. Escape was impossible 
for Joseph. Where were now all his bright hopes 
and anticipations? What of his dreams and his boy¬ 
ish boastfulness? He could cry out all he wanted 
to and no one would hear him. His brethren cared 
so little that they sat down to eat and drink. Such 
an experience is not uncommon in life. We are put 
into a pit of circumstances, by those whom we re¬ 
garded as friends, from which there seems no escape. 
But the worst was yet to come. 

Slave traders come that way. Joseph is taken out 
of the pit to be sold as a slave. The lad, set above 
the rest of the household, is now to feel the lash of 
the slave-driver’s whip. Here is the crucial thing— 
will Joseph sink to the level of the slave? Will he 
give up his integrity and his dreams? It is not so 
much what happens to us, outside; it is whether it 
gets inside? 

That Joseph was not embittered by his experience 
in the pit and being sold as a slave, is shown by the 
fact that he so conducted himself in the house of 
Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the 
guard, that he speedily rose to be the overseer of all 
he had. It doubtless seemed good to Joseph to have 
this recognition. 

This prosperity, alas, was short-lived. Again he is 
cast down—this time into a loathsome Egyptian 
prison. For what? For standing out against a 
great temptation; trying to do the right thing for 


35 

himself and Potiphar. Falsely accused of attempting 
to do a wrong—he does not reply to the accusation— 
he understands the uselessness of it. This is not a 
rare case. One has sometimes to suffer, in silence, 
under an unjust charge or make things worse by 
speaking. 

The Interpreter of Dreams (Genesis 40:1 to 
41:36).—For two years Joseph remained in prison. 
There seemed no prospect of anything for him ex¬ 
cept this life. He had no outside influence. No one 
to help him except his God; to Him he turned in his 
distress. This was a critical period with Joseph, 
when the outlook was anything but encouraging. 
But pursuing the same policy that had made him 
overseer of Potiphar’s house, and with the favour 
of God, he became the master of the prison—Genesis 
39:21-23. 

Now happened a series of remarkable events which 
showed that Joseph was not forgotten. 

The chief butler and the chief baker of Pharaoh 
were put in prison. They speedily dreamed—the 
chief butler of a vine with three branches and of his 
pressing the juice of the ripe grapes into Pharaoh’s 
cup—the chief baker also of three white baskets in 
which were all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh. 
They were entirely at a loss to interpret the dreams, 
and were very sad. They gladly accepted Joseph’s of¬ 
fer to interpret their dreams. To the chief butler he 
was able to say that within three days he would be 
restored to his place but to the chief baker he could 
only say that within three days he should die. The 
chief butler was elated. Within three days he was 




Studies of Great Bible Characters 


restored to his place. Before he went out Joseph 
intreated him to remember him to Pharaoh and to 
bring him out of his prison house, but the chief 
butler forgot him utterly. It is not uncommon for 
people to forget favours. This narrative runs true 
to life. 

Pharaoh had a dream of seven lean kine and seven 
fat kine that came up out of the river Nile, and the 
lean kine devoured the fat kine; and of seven lean 
ears and seven rank and full ears. No one could be 
found who could interpret the dream until the chief 
butler remembered how Joseph had interpreted his 
dream and his promise to help him out of prison. 
We all know how Joseph interpreted the dream to 
Pharaoh as it was that which God was about to bring 
to pass in Egypt—seven plentiful to be followed by 
seven lean or famine years. 

Making Good as Chief Ruler of Egypt (Genesis 
41:37-57).—Now at last the golden opportunity, 
for Joseph, had come. He pointed out the desirabil¬ 
ity of some man being chosen who would gather 
sufficient grain to tide over the lean years. Pharaoh 
chose him as that man. Look back and see that 
Joseph has been prepared and willing to be prepared 
for this great trust. He is a graduate, with honours, 
of Faith in God and the University of Hard Knocks. 
Did Joseph foresee something of this sort and pre¬ 
pared himself for it? He was a man of vision and 
an interpreter of visions. Every inventor has seen 
his invention, in vision, before he has seen it in 
reality. Edison saw his lamp, Wright his flying 
machine, Marconi heard his wireless messages before 


Joseph 37 

they became realities. Why is it not possible for a 
man like Joseph, with infinite faith in God, to believe 
that God is preparing him for some great trust— 
some great place—when, after enduring hard trials, 
he graduates at the head of his class ? 

Many men, who in politics and in business have 
attained to high places, have told afterwards that 
when they were boys they determined to have these 
places. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Joseph be¬ 
lieved in God’s promises unto the uttermost. The 
early dreams of Joseph are indicative of what he 
purposed to do and be. 

There are four things which must be observed 
in making good in any work or profession. First — 
There must be the determination, the will, to do 
what one purposes to do. Second —Staying power 
—to remain in one’s chosen pursuit, no matter what 
happens. Third —Reserve power; the accumulation 
of a reserve for unexpected emergencies. Fourth — 
Vision, the ability to see a thing, as accomplished, 
before it is done. These qualities coupled with his 
firm faith in God’s ability to take care of him made 
Joseph what he was. 

Joseph’s Receptions of His Brethren and His Fa¬ 
ther (Genesis 42:1 to 50: 26) constitute a separate 
story. They would take a study in themselves. We 
have only space to point out the fact that Joseph’s 
rise to high position had not spoiled him. He was 
not vindictive against his brethren who had sold him 
into slavery. He saw everything that had happened, 
as it had turned out to the advantage of his people 
and himself. 


38 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

Eight Strong Points in the Character of Joseph. 
First —Supreme faith in God; his confidence never 
wavered. Second —Foresight; seeing things before 
they came to pass. Third —Evenness of temper; we 
never see him out of sorts. Fourth —Making the 
best of bad situations; in the pit and in the prison 
he is the same as in the chief rulership. Fifth — 
Keenness of mind. He had all the shrewdness of 
his father, Jacob, but it was turned toward helping 
others and not used for his own advantage. Sixth 
—Ability to cope with any and every situation. 
Seventh —Stability of heart and mind. Eighth — 
Dependability—Potiphar, the keeper of the prison, 
and Pharaoh placed all their interests, successively, in 
his hands, and they were taken care of to their satis¬ 
faction. 

Questions.—What can be said of the life of 
Joseph; the way in which he was connected with 
the chosen people coming down into Egypt? How 
did Jacob show his favour to this shepherd boy? 
What can be said of Joseph as “The Dreamer ”? 
What is there to be said of Joseph being sold into 
Egypt ? Describe his first experiences in Egypt. 
What can be said of him as “ The Interpreter of 
Dreams ” ? How did he make good as chief ruler 
of Egypt? What four things must be observed in 
making good? What can be said of Joseph’s re¬ 
ception of his father and his brethren? Give the 
eight strong points in the character of Joseph. 


V 


MOSES 

LEADER AND LAWGIVER OF A NATION 

The Need of Moses.—We turn from Genesis, at 
once, to Exodus and are apt to forget that between 
the two books there is a long space of time. 

After the death of Joseph there arose a Pharaoh 
who became alarmed at the rapid increase in num¬ 
bers and wealth of the Israelites. What Joseph had 
done in saving the nation, during seven years of 
famine, was utterly forgotten. This Pharaoh de¬ 
termined to break the spirit and to check the growth 
of this people. He burdened them with difficult 
tasks, gave orders to kill off all the boy babies, and 
reduced them to abject slavery. To a free people 
this subjection seemed very hard; and when they 
remembered the promises given to Abraham, Isaac 
and Jacob and the favour that was theirs under 
Joseph it was by no means easy for them to bear 
the bitterness of their lot. Year after year passed 
and conditions grew steadily worse. 

The Advent of Moses. —Even after the birth of 
Moses it is eighty years before he is called to deliver 
this people from a hard and bitter bondage. But 
in his birth events of tremendous importance, not 
only to the Israelites but to the world, are in prepa¬ 
ration. 

Moses stands out as one of the greatest figures 

39 


40 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

in the history of mankind. He was born in slavery; 
a slave mother concealed his birth that he might not 
suffer death under the decree of Pharaoh that all 
Israelitish boy babies should be put to death. 

The Great Task given to Moses was to take a 
people which had been in Egyptian slavery— the 
worst that the world has ever known—with its hard 
work without pay and its cruel whippings—and make 
it into a great nation with the purest moral and 
spiritual ideals that the world has ever known. 

He was called to a constructive work of the 
highest order. He was to be, so to speak, the presi¬ 
dent of the Sinaitic University with its various de¬ 
partments ably manned not with a four, but a forty 
years’ course of study. 

The task was threefold. First, Religious, to 
make a church with the underlying thought of one 
God, Father and Ruler of all. Second, Political, to 
make a great state or nation living under wise laws 
with high spiritual conceptions. A people which 
could survive internal dissensions and the rude buf- 
fetings of other nations. Third, Social, to keep the 
individual and the family pure and clean and in 
right relations. The principles set forth have never 
been abrogated. 

With him the primitive and patriarchal period 
closes and we have the birth of a nation. 

The Career of Moses is divided into three periods 
of forty years each. 

The First Forty Years in the Court of Pharaoh. 

—It is summed up in just fifteen verses of the second 
chapter of Exodus. Most historians would have 


Moses 


41 


made much of this period. Not so this recorder. 
He has much more important things on hand. We 
wish we knew more about Moses’ mother who saved 
the life of her child and carefully thought out a way 
to preserve him from death and provide for his fu¬ 
ture. She was a real genius in planning. 

As the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
Moses moved in the inner circle of the court life. 
There were four great temple universities—Memphis, 
Sais, Thebes and On. They were famous for their 
scholarship. It is probable that Moses was educated 
at the University of On, which is about five miles 
northeast of modern Cairo. 

The allurements of court life, the learning, and 
the gorgeous ritual of worship in the magnificent 
temples of the Egyptians do not seem to have had 
any appeal for this young man. 

We find all his sympathies and all his interest 
are for the despised race from which he came. Go¬ 
ing out one day, as he doubtless had done very 
often, to visit his people, he sees an Egyptian beat¬ 
ing a Hebrew. It is too much for him. Doubtless 
hitting harder than he intends he lays low the cruel 
taskmaster. He thinks no one has seen him, but he 
learns very quickly that he is mistaken. For trying 
to help a fellow countryman, in distress, he is com¬ 
pelled to flee for his life. 

The Second Forty Years on the Backside of the 
Desert. —What a change! From the active and 
gay life of the court of the mightiest empire of its 
times to the silence and monotony of the desert! 
Now he, who was so honoured and looked up to, 


42 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

whose slightest expressed wish was attended to by 
fawning servants, is reduced to tending sheep. But 
if Moses ever regretted the change he left no record 
of his regret. There come times, in every one’s life, 
when there is relegation to the backside of the desert 
but it is not always taken as well as Moses took it. 

Moses in this period gained a knowledge of the 
desert which was of great use to him when he, after¬ 
wards, led the host of Israelites in their wanderings. 
This period is summed up in one short chapter— 
Exodus 3. 

This period is brought to a close by the call, by 
God, out of the burning bush, to Moses to the work 
which marks the beginning of a great epoch in the 
history of the world. 

The Third Forty Years as Leader and Lawgiver 
of a Nation. —A period crowded with important 
events so that four books—Exodus, Leviticus, Num¬ 
bers and Deuteronomy—making barest mention of 
them are not sufficient to tell the whole story. 

After the call of Moses he is, at once, sent to 
Pharaoh to demand the release of the children of 
Israel. Think of the surprise and bewilderment of 
Pharaoh! A fugitive, who has been hunted by his 
order, coming before him and demanding that he 
release a despised body of slaves! Moses does not 
come, as a suppliant, but as the ambassador of a 
higher power demanding and insisting that Pharaoh 
yield. Pharaoh is obliged to comply. Then follows 
the story of the making of a nation in the forty years 
of desert schooling. 

The Key-note of the Three Periods is Divine 


Moses 


43 

Leadership.—God ruling in and over the affairs of 
men. It is God who calls Moses to his task. It is 
God who sends Moses to Pharaoh with the demand 
that he let the Children of Israel go. It is God who 
directs the exodus out of Egypt. It is God for whom 
the wilderness tabernacle is erected. It is God who 
gives the ten commandments. He is fulfilling His 
promises to make of this people a great nation— 
through whom all the world shall be blessed and 
come to better things. 

The Record of What was Done in the Third 
Period is set forth in the books of Exodus, Levit¬ 
icus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 

Exodus.—This book is a great turning point in 
Old Testament history. It marks “ The first stage 
of the fulfillment of the promises made by God to 
the patriarchs with reference to the place and growth 
of the Israelites.” 

It should not be forgotten that God is here re¬ 
vealed as the God of the whole world and supreme 
over nature. He commands Pharaoh and the forces 
of the earth. A special nation is called, constituted 
and consecrated for a world-wide mission. 

Leviticus.—The contents are legislative. The 
laws set forth are Moral, Religious, Civil, Ceremonial 
and Sanitary. The ten commandments are given to 
Moses. The great value of these laws is fully rec¬ 
ognized to-day. The design of these laws is to stim¬ 
ulate the spiritual life and make a Holy Nation. 

Numbers.—The account of the training of the 
nation. We are here told of what took place from 
the second year of the exodus to the arrival at the 


Studies of Great Bible Characters 


44 

border of the Promised Land—thirty-eight years. 
The name is from the double numbering of the peo¬ 
ple—first at Sinai, chapter 1, and then at Moab, 
chapter 26. 

Deuteronomy. —Review of the law in sight of 
the Promised Land. Moses gives his parting in¬ 
structions in three addresses. First—Remembrance 
of God’s care. Second—Exposition of the law. 
Third—Renewal of the covenant. Some of the laws 
given in Leviticus are changed to suit the new mode 
of living from tent life to the settled life of villages 
and cities. A new generation has grown up', a new 
country is to be settled and new duties are before 
the people. 

Questions.—What was the need of Moses? 
What can be said of the advent of Moses? How 
long after his birth did the deliverance take place? 
What was the task of Moses; its threefold char¬ 
acter? Into what periods is Moses’ career divided? 
Give an account of the first, the second and the 
third. What is the key-note of the three? What is 
the record—teaching—of Exodus, Leviticus, Num¬ 
bers and Deuteronomy? 


VI 


JOSHUA 

THE COURAGEOUS MAN WITH A HARD TASK 

Wanted — A New Leader! —This sign was out. 
Moses, the statesman, was dead. Great was the 
mourning! 

When a man has been the successful head of a 
nation for forty years and dies in the full vigour of 
his powers, it is not easy to fill his place—Deuteron¬ 
omy 34: 7, 8. 

Ability to lead , in a great movement, is a rare 
quality. A man may have wealth, position, favour¬ 
ing circumstances, but these will all go for naught 
without this quality; with this quality he can create 
wealth, position and favouring circumstances and 
make them serve his purpose. Without good leader¬ 
ship a nation rapidly degenerates. Hence the anx¬ 
iety, after the death of Moses, in regard to the new 
leader must have been intense. The position of the 
tribes was very critical. They could not go back. 
They were facing alert, dangerous, and well-armed 
enemies. 

The Choice of Joshua (Joshua Ch. 1). —As we 
read the narrative we can realize the relief in the 
strain when it was announced that Joshua had been 
called to take the place of Moses. “ As Moses was 
a statesman, Joshua was a soldier”— a general of 
eminent ability. His predominant qualities were 

45 


4 6 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

strength, courage, far-sightedness, faith in his God 
and in His cause. 

The call came from God . How? We cannot 
say. We follow the text. But it is true to-day, as 
it ever has been, that many a man, engaged in a large 
and important enterprise, has felt this direct call to 
his work. With the call to Joshua there came the 
assurance—1:5—that God would be back of him; 
and the exhortation—three times repeated—to be 
strong and of good courage—1: 6, 7, 9. 

Personal Equipment.—We always like to know 
something about men who have done big things— 
stepping out of their nationality—in the history of 
the world. Joshua was a descendent of Joseph of 
the tribe of Ephraim—1 Chronicles 7: 20-27. He 
was born a slave, in the brick fields of Egypt, and 
he knew the bitterness of slavery. He was with 
Moses in the forty years’ wandering in the desert. 
He was selected as the commander to defeat Amalek 
when he fought against Israel, at Rephidim—Exodus 
17: 8-13. He was also chosen to go with Moses 
when he went up “ into the mount of God ” to re¬ 
ceive the tables of stone on which were written the 
commandments—Exodus 24:12, 13. It was the 
logical and natural thing that the new leadership 
should come to him. He was well prepared to re¬ 
spond to the call. 

The Situation.—Let us visualize it, as Joshua 
saw it. 

On the east side of the Jordan, to the north of 
the Dead Sea, the host of Israel is encamped. It is 
orderly. It is well disciplined. The encampment is 


Joshua 


47 


by tribes. The streets are well spaced. On the 
parade grounds—of which there are a number—there 
is constant drilling of the soldiers. Let us disabuse 
our minds of the fancy that there was no effort re¬ 
quired of the Israelites when difficult things had to 
be done and that all they had to do was to call on 
the Lord and a miracle would be performed. It is 
not so set down in the narrative. They had to work 
hard. It was well known that it would be no easy 
task to subdue the Canaanites. 

On the west side of the Jordan were the 
Canaanites dwelling in many scores of walled cities 
and with a multitude of fierce fighters. 

The Work to Be Done was to dispossess the 
Canaanites and to possess the land. Could it be 
done? That was the question that troubled every¬ 
body from Joshua down to the smallest children who 
could understand what was up. 

First — To dispossess the Canaanites . Why? 
For the same reason that Sodom and Gomorrah were 
destroyed. Read Genesis 18: 20-19 : 25. This dis¬ 
possession is always represented in the Bible as a 
punishment for wickedness. Nineveh, Babylon and 
Jerusalem also went down for their sins. The 
Canaanites worshipped every evil thing. In one word 
it was a religious cult exalting immorality. Recent 
excavations and researches show that “ No other na¬ 
tion has rivaled them in the mixture of blood and 
debauchery with which they sought to honour the 
Deity. ,, We have no sympathy with the disorderly 
house and the gambling hell when raided by the 
police—why should we express it for the Canaanites 


48 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

who were far worse? Joshua was taking no chances 
when he prepared his campaign. He knew that the 
worse the evil the harder it would fight. It is a 
mistake too often made that all you have to do is 
expose evil and the cure is effected. Not so—it 
hits back and uses every mean weapon that it can 
get hold of. The Canaanites were skilled warriors. 
They had the arts of civilization, as then known. 
They inhabited walled towns and cities. They were 
strategists and fought by fair means and by foul. 

Second—To possess the land. To do this Joshua 
well knew that he would have to be wise in peace as 
well as in war. To conserve the fruits of victory is 
often more difficult than to win them. 

The War Plan, of Joshua, displayed the ability 
of a great general. There were three military cam¬ 
paigns. 

First —“ The Central ” against Jericho and Ai— 
chapter 6. This was a blow right in the center of 
Canaan. It divided the forces of the enemy into 
two camps—“ the Southern ” and “ the Northern.” 
This made it more easy to deal with the situation. 

Second—“The Southern” against the combined 
kings of the South—chapter 10. 

Third—“The Northern” against the combined 
kings of the North—chapter 11. 

In chapter 12 we have an account of the kings 
which the children of Israel smote and possessed 
their lands. 

The Peace Plan.—Note that the tribes were not 
left to select their own lands, as it might happen, 
where they should settle, but everything was care- 


Joshua 


49 


fully planned out. The great ability of Joshua never 
shone out more clearly than it does here. In chap¬ 
ters 13 to 22 we have the assignment of lands to the 
twelve tribes. Nine and a half tribes have their ap¬ 
portionment on the west side of Jordan and two and 
a half tribes on the east side. The Tabernacle of 
God is set up at Shiloh—chapter 18:1. The rest of 
the eighteenth chapter up to and including the 
twenty-second, has to do with further tribal appor¬ 
tionment and the appointing of six cities of refuge 
and forty-eight cities given to the Levites. Every¬ 
thing is done in an orderly and systematic way. 

The Real Significance of Joshua's Work was that 
he worked under the direction of God—this is al¬ 
ways made prominent. First, for the purification of 
the land from the awful parody of its religion in the 
exaltation of immorality. Second, the exaltation of 
the worship of the one true God. Third, the begin¬ 
ning of civil and religious liberty. 

Joshua's Farewell Address.—Nothing could be 
finer. Read chapters 23 and 24. Near the close of 
his life he calls the tribes together and gives them 
his parting words. He reviews his twenty-five years 
with them as their leader. He recalls to their minds 
what has been accomplished. He reminds them of 
God's great goodness and care and of how much He 
has done for them. He earnestly warns against 
lapses into idolatry. He charges them to be faithful 
to their God. He renews the covenant with God. 

Characteristics of Joshua.—First—perfect faith 
in God. Second—masterly courage. Third—great¬ 
ness of leadership both in war and in peace. Fourth 


50 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

—lasting enthusiasm. Fifth—unswerving fidelity 

in the discharge of all his duties. 

Questions.—Why was a new leader wanted? 
What can be said about the choice of Joshua? What 
was his personal equipment? What can be said of 
the situation, as Joshua saw it, with which he had 
to deal? What was the work to be done? What 
was the war plan? What the peace plan? What 
was the real significance of Joshua’s work? Give 
the points in Joshua’s farewell address. What were 
the five characteristics of Joshua? 

I 


VII 


SAUL 

THE MAN WHO ABUSED HIS OPPORTUNITIES 

The Opportunities of Saul (1 Samuel 8:19 to 
31:13).—No man ever had so many chances to 
make a success of life thrust upon him and no man 
ever so missed them. No, not missed them; let us 
rather say that he went out of his way to abuse 
them. How did he do it? His sun rose, in splen¬ 
dour, with every prospect of a glorious day. It set 
in darkness with a tempest raging. Such a career 
is well worth the closest study in order that we may 
realize the dangers to be avoided. It is not the op¬ 
portunities, big or little, that count; it is the use that 
is made of them. 

The Backward Look to the transition period, be¬ 
tween Joshua, who succeeded Moses and conquered 
Canaan, and Saul, the first king of Israel, is well 
worth while. The story is told, from the first chap¬ 
ter of Judges, up to and including the eighth chapter 
of 1 Samuel. It is a stirring history, of hundreds 
of years, compressed in thirty-three short Bible chap¬ 
ters. 

The key-note is found in Judges 2:16-19. 
Things do not run smoothly. Israel falls into sin; 
becomes a prey to her enemies; repents and calls on 
God; God hears and raises up a leader (“Judge,” 

5i 


52 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

so called) who delivers the nation; then the nation 
falls into sin again and the round is repeated about 
thirteen times. No great man arises like Moses or 
Joshua. This period is very much like the “ Middle 
Ages of Europe/' While the ark seems to remain 
at Shiloh there is no central national government, 
no political unity, and the supremacy passes from 
tribe to tribe. The original inhabitants of the land 
are hostile and bitter. 

The problem of the Israelites was to retain their 
faith in God and to keep hold of the land. The 
temptation was constant to relapse into the heathen¬ 
ish ways of the Canaanites. The beautiful story of 
the book of Ruth shows, however, that there were 
some very good people even in these dark days. 

The Forward Look.—When things are very bad 
in a people’s affairs one of two things happens: First 
—the end is the extinction of that race or, Second 
—a party arises which demands a radical change for 
the better. It is to the credit of the Israelites that a 
radical change for the better was demanded. With 
Samuel, the last of the judges and the first of the 
prophets, it was thought that a new era had dawned. 
He, at first, did great things in bringing order out 
of chaos and in the heading of a new and better 
administration of affairs. But he was growing old. 
He made his sons judges. This was the finishing 
touch for they were bad through and through. They 
took bribes and sold judgments—1 Samuel 8:1-22. 
Then the chief men came to Samuel and demanded 
a new administration. They could see no better way 
than to have a new move. Samuel’s sons were im- 


Saul 


53 

possible. They asked for a king like the nations 
round about them. Samuel tried to dissuade them 
but they would not listen to him. Samuel took the 
matter to the Lord and he was told to yield to the 
people's demand. 

In this Backward and Forward Look we see the 
straits to which the people were put and the reason 
for the desire for a strong hand to guide and control 
affairs. But in this demand the people set aside 
God's immediate government and Samuel. Yet this 
seemed, at this time, with Samuel's evil sons coming 
into power, the thing to do—the appointment of a 
king. 

The Splendid Advent of Saul, the first king of 
Israel. No reign of any king was ever begun under 
fairer prospects—1 Samuel 8:18-22. He was 
chosen by Samuel under the direct command of God. 
The people were for him to a man—and not simply 
the leaders. When Samuel presented him to the 
people there was great rejoicing. “ And Samuel said 
to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath 
chosen, that there is none like him among all the 
people? And all the people shouted, and said, God 
save the king ”—1 Samuel 10: 24. 

Personally, he was good to look upon. He was 
taller, by a head, than most men—1 Samuel 9:1, 2. 
He was modest—9: 21—in that when it was shown 
him that he was to be king he declared he was not 
worthy. When he was to be publicly chosen he 
hid himself and was not found—10: 20, 23. For the 
story read 9:1 to 10: 26. 

The Pinnacle of Success.—Without any effort, 


54 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

on his part, Saul was elevated to the headship of a 
people destined to outlast all the nations of antiquity. 
He seems, at first, to have taken his new duties and 
responsibilities with great seriousness and earnest¬ 
ness. From all that we can gather he soon made the 
name of Israel, by his wise administration, feared 
and respected. He had statesman-like qualities and 
was an eminent military leader. He conducted three 
brilliant military campaigns against the enemies of 
Israel. First—against the Amorites, on the east side 
of Jordan—chapter 11. Second—against the Philis¬ 
tines, on the west—14:1-31. Third—against the 
Amalekites, on the south—15:1-7. On every side 
he fought against and vexed the enemies of Israel— 
14:47. 

The Decline and Downfall of Saul.—Everything 

seemed to point to a long and successful reign; a 
renewal of the glory that was Israel’s during the 
leadership of Joshua and an advance to even greater 
things. We look—and everything is going up. We 
look again—and everything is on the down-grade. 
“ It is the old familiar story of pride, egotism and 
the abuse of power leading to moral degradation 
and ruin.” Let us consider the points on the down¬ 
ward road traveled by Saul. 

First —he forgot that he had been chosen to do a 
certain piece of good work in helping Israel up out 
of a hard situation. The people had asked for him; 
the Lord had acceded to their request—8:4-22. 
Again and again he makes it manifest that he pro¬ 
poses to forget both his God and his people and to 
reign as it seems best to himself—willfully and self- 


Saul 


55 


ishly—15:19-22. The story of how this man ruined 
himself and came near wrecking his country is told 
in seventeen chapters of 1 Samuel, 15 to 31. 

Second —he allowed envy and jealousy to get the 
better of him and stifled every generous and noble 
impulse. Take the case of David who slew the giant 
Goliath—chapter 17—Saul, instead of rejoicing over 
this fact, is envious of David and tries to kill him— 
18:6-11. He orders him killed—19:1. 

Third —he lost all sense of loyalty and sought to 
deal treacherously with David. He laid a trap for 
him whereby he hoped that he would be killed, indeed 
expected he would be, in exacting as a dowry for 
his daughter's hand a hundred enemies slain— 
18:20-30. 

Fourth —from the nineteenth to the thirtieth 
chapters, inclusive, we have the account of how Saul 
lays aside all idea of reigning except by his own 
erratic will. He has forsaken God and while he 
seeks to get into touch with Him now and then it is 
only that he may foster some selfish scheme of his 
not with any thought of serving or obeying Him. He 
hunts David as a wild beast is hunted. 

Fifth —he becomes the subject of attacks of deep 
melancholy In one of his fits of depression he visits 
the Witch of Endor. It is here shown to what depths 
this once noble man has fallen. 

The Tragic Death (Ch. 31).—A life so misspent 
can have but one ending and it must be tragic. But 
long before the physical death there was the going 
out of the man all that was noble and good. Before 
Saul took his own physical life he had already taken 



56 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

his moral life. The case of Saul is not isolated— 
it is occurring, here and there, every day. 

Questions.—What can be said of the oppor¬ 
tunities of Saul? The backward; the forward look? 
Give an account of the splendid advent of Saul. 
What can be said of the pinnacle of his success? 
Give the five points in his decline and fall. What 
can be said of his tragic death? 


VIII 


DAVID 

THE SEEF-CONQUEROR WHO BECAME KING 

David, the Second King of Israel, at once suc¬ 
ceeded Saul. There is no interval of time. At first 
he was king of Judah for about seven years. Then 
for the remainder of the forty years of his reign 
he was king of the united kingdom of Judah and 
Israel. The complete story is told from 1 Samuel 
16:1, through 2 Samuel, to 1 Kings 2:11. It has 
been said of him—“ In his own person he represents 
the athlete, the shepherd, the poet, the musician, the 
mystic, the man of war, the father, the friend and 
the statesman.” 

The Self-Conqueror.—Saul had the high office of 
“ King of All Israel ” handed to him, so to speak, 
on a silver platter. He served no apprenticeship. 
He underwent no hardships. David, “ The Self- 
Conqueror,” on the other hand had some very bitter 
and trying experiences before he attained his high 
place. Self-Control is one of David’s chief char¬ 
acteristics. This is one of the greatest virtues that 
any man can have and exercise. It is a blessing to 
the man who has it and to those with whom he comes 
in contact. Without it a man is a menace to society. 
Many an able man, splendidly equipped in all other 

57 


58 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

respects, has made a disastrous failure of his life 
and mission because he lacked this virtue. 

It is interesting to read the story of David’s life 
and exploits, with this matter of “ Self-Control ” in 
mind, and to mark how he exercised it in face of 
envy, hatred, revenge, degradation from high to low 
places and how he stood the hard tests, in all but one 
instance and of that he repented bitterly. He passed 
through a number of hard schools. Let us consider 
them: 

The School of the Open Fields (1 Samuel 
16:11-13 and 16-23; 17:34-37). —David was a 
keeper of sheep, as a young man. It was a good 
easy place. The tendency, in such a place, is to let 
down and let things drift. Notice that David did 
nothing of the sort. He overcame the tendency to 
laziness. He became such a skillful musician that 
his fame reached even to the king and he was called 
to play on a harp at court. On the opposite side 
he became a skilled marksman, with the sling, and an 
athlete—so that it was an easy thing for him to 
throw a stone, just one, with such accuracy that it 
found its mark on the face of the giant Goliath and 
then when he was stunned he jumped in and finished 
the job— 1 Samuel, chapter 17. How did he do this 
so easily and without fear? Why? He had been 
educated in “ the School of the Lion and the Bear ” 
— 1 Samuel 17: 34-37. He had confidence because 
he had exercised self-control over the natural ten¬ 
dency to let down. He kept himself fit. 

The School of the Court (1 Samuel 18:2 to 
21:9).—The call to go to this school came from 




David 


59 

king Saul—18: 2. His introduction is pleasant for 
here begins that friendship with Jonathan, the son 
of Saul, which is one of the brightest spots in the 
life of David. But this is a much harder school 
than the first because that here David must exercise 
self-control before the undeserved and uncalled-for 
envy of his king. After David slew Goliath instead 
of its bringing him praise from Saul it brought only 
hatred and a desire to kill. 

Consider the position of David, high-minded, en¬ 
thusiastic, rejoicing in the fact that he has done a 
great service and saved the nation from disastrous 
defeat, when he has a javelin thrown at him with 
the intent to pin him to the wall. What a tumult 
there must have been in his feeling! He cannot 
realize, at first, that he is not wanted and the quicker 
he takes himself out of the way the better it will be 
for him. 

This is the “ School of the Court ”—to do some 
service, it may be a great one, and then find it-not 
only unappreciated but that it brings enmity and 
hatred. That David refused to hate and envy in 
return, although he was hunted like a wild beast, 
shows his marvelous self-control and his trust in his 
God—that He would care for him. 

The School of the Outlaw Camp (1 Samuel 
21 :10 to 31:13).—Nearly eleven chapters are given 
to what David learned here. He was now definitely 
out of court life. There was no possible return. He 
was an outlaw. The royal command had been given 
to kill David—1 Samuel 19 : 1 —but at first he did 
not realize that it was really meant. When he did 


6 o • Studies of Great Bible Characters 


realize it—1 Samuel 21:10-15—he knew what fear 
could do to him. He had not feared the lion or the 
bear or a giant or the Philistines but this fear was 
different. It took hold upon his heart strings. It 
paralyzed his mind. He fled for fear of Saul. He 
had never feared man before. He had never feared 
an enemy before and yet he feigned madness in the 
presence of the king of Gath. Many a man, under 
such an experience, would let bitterness enter into 
his soul and he would determine, within himself, that 
when his opportunity came, his hand would take the 
sword and be revenged. But not so David, even 
when he was compelled to associate with outlaws— 
1 Samuel 22:1, 2. He shows a self-control here 
that is marvelous. During this period of his life, 
when he could have taken the life of Saul a number 
of times, he spares him. 

King Without a Kingdom.—While David was 
still in “ the School of the Open Fields ” he was 
anointed king of Israel by Samuel—16:1-13. Saul 
was still living and reigning. There was no telling 
how long he would live and reign. David was king 
without a kingdom. David must have wondered 
what it all meant when he was passing through his 
hard experiences. Was he really the king? The 
thought must have come to him, “ If Saul is hunt¬ 
ing me, why not hunt him? Why not kill him and 
seize the kingdom? I can do it. If it is to be a 
fight—let me fight as well as Saul.” This is the 
human of it. When many a man comes into a 
similar situation—he grasps what he can. Again 
there comes in the factor of David’s life where he 


David 


61 


trusted in his God—that He would care for him and 
straighten things out—and that in the meantime 
he must control himself. He must conquer his 
natural desire to take things into his own hands 
and compel them to do his will against the Divine 

Will. 

King of Half a Kingdom (2 Samuel 2:4 to 
5:3).—When Saul and Jonathan were dead— 
1 Samuel Ch. 31 to 2 Samuel 1:1-16—David 
showed his fine spirit in the beautiful psalm that he 
composed in their honour (read 2 Samuel 1:17-27). 
He might have thought that he would immediately 
come into the kingship that had been promised him, 
when he was anointed, but here again a disappoint¬ 
ment awaits him. He was now to take about a seven 
years’ course in “ the School of Delayed Fulfillment 
of Promises.” It is not easy to wait for something 
that is your due and which has been promised you 
long before. 

There was a long war between the house of 
Saul and the house of David; but David waxed 
stronger and stronger and the house of Saul waxed 
weaker and weaker ”—2 Samuel 3 :1. Israel’s re¬ 
jection of David may have been due to the fact that 
the leaders of Israel did not want David, who had 
been proclaimed an outlaw, to rule over them. Here 
again David seems to have exercised his wonderful 
self-control in not pressing matters unduly. The 
headquarters of David was at Hebron. 

King of all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3 to 1 Kings 
2:10).—David’s patience and self-control were at 
last rewarded. He was approached by the elders of 


62 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


Israel and asked to be their king as well as king of 
Judah—2 Samuel 5:1-3. Samuel had anointed him 
to be “ King of all Israel ”—1 Samuel 16:1-13—and 
he was now king. 

The Home Political Policy of David was central¬ 
ization of power. He at once besieged Jerusalem, 
took it and made it his capital. This was where he 
dwelt and it was to the head offices in this city that 
all tribal business must come—2 Samuel 5. 

The Religions Policy of David was also central¬ 
ization of worship. As speedily as possible he 
brought the ark to Jerusalem where all must come, 
in due time, for the performance of their religious 
duties—2 Samuel 6. He wanted to build at once a 
suitable temple of worship but he was bidden to 
defer it—2 Samuel 7. 

The Foreign Policy of David was strong. He 
was vigorous in pushing his conquests over the 
enemies of Israel. The Ammonites, the Moabites, 
the Edomites, the Scythians, and the Amalekites 
were made vassals and the borders of the kingdom 
extended from the Mediterranean to the River 
Euphrates. 

A Great Kingdom was built up from the nucleus 
of a weak tribal life and a royal line was established 
which was to end in Christ who is “ King over All.” 

David’s Army, upon which he could draw, would 
not be considered small even in modern times 
(1,300,000 “ men that drew the sword”—2 Samuel 
24:9) yet his whole effort was for peace and the 
religious building up of his empire. 

The One Blot on David’s Life is his treatment of 


David 


6 3 

Bathsheba and Uriah. And this sin is not glossed 
over, as it might have been, in the account of his 
career —2 Samuel 11. He bitterly suffered for this 
sin in the conduct of his family, and the multiplied 
troubles that came upon him. He lost self-control 
and went down into the depths. It is difficult to 
understand how a man like David could so forget 
himself after standing up under so many greater 
trials. 

It is to David's Great Credit that when the Lord 
sent Nathan, the prophet, to bring to his attention 
his sin he at once acknowledged it and repented 
—2 Samuel 12. 

Characteristics.— David is many men in one. 
He is unsurpassed as poet. His short poems— 
psalms—have outlasted all others and are to-day as 
fresh as when they were written. For loftiness of 
thought and beauty of diction they stand alone. 
They charm and they console. In connection with 
this lesson David’s “ Psalm of Thanksgiving,” for 
deliverance from his enemies, should be read aloud 
before the class —2 Samuel, chapter 22. As a man 
of war he knew how far to go in pressing his vic¬ 
tories. As a statesman, in building up a great em¬ 
pire, he is a model. As a friend—witness the friend¬ 
ship between him and Jonathan—he is ideal. As a 
man, he is a man amongst men, he had rare virtues. 
As a follower of God he knew how to obey Him and 
worship Him as few men do. 

Questions.—What can be said about David; 
how long is the interval between him and Saul? 
What about the length of his reign? How did the 


64 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

circumstances differ between him and Saul coming 
to the kingdom? What about Self-Control? What 
can be said about “ the School of the Open Fields ” 
and David? What about “the School of the 
Court ” ? What about “ the School of the Outlaw 
Camp”? Give some account of David as “King 
Without a Kingdom.” “ King of Half a Kingdom.” 
“ King of All Israel.” What are the characteristics 
of David? 


IX 


NEHEMIAH 

THE MAN WITH MANY ENEMIES 

Foreword. —We consider, here, the story of 
Nehemiah in the first seven chapters of the book 
which bears his name. Where and how did this man 
come to make so many bitter enemies who opposed 
and tried to stop his work? What means did he take 
to get the better of them? How did he succeed? 

Before we answer these questions we must first 
see where he fits into the Bible plan, and the im¬ 
portance of the place he had in it. 

Between King David , in our last study , and 
Nehemiah came King Solomon, David’s son, who 
built a great temple for the worship of God and made 
Jerusalem one of the great cities of the ancient 
world. In the latter part of his reign he fell away 
from the worship of God and his kingdom declined. 
After his death the kingdom split into two parts— 
“ The Northern ” and “ The Southern.” The first 
had nineteen kings and nine dynasties. The second, 
with its seat in Jerusalem, had twenty kings and one 
dynasty. In spite of repeated prophetic warnings the 
people fell away from the worship of God. 

The Northern Kingdom was carried into cap¬ 
tivity by the Assyrians in 722 b. c. and the Southern 
Kingdom, by the Babylonians in 586 b. c. The mag- 

65 




66 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

nificent temple of Solomon was destroyed, the pal¬ 
aces burned, and the walls of Jerusalem were broken 
down. In due time the Babylonians were conquered 
by the Persians. When this happened, as it had been 
foretold by the prophets the “ Chosen People ” were 
given permission to return home. This story is told 
in the book of Ezra. This happened in 536 B. c. 
Zerubbabel led a large colony back to Jerusalem. 
Houses were built and also a temple but the walls of 
the city were not built up. A second colony was 
led by Ezra about sixty years later. 

The City Walls in Ruins.—Thirteen years after 
Ezra’s second colony came to Jerusalem or seventy- 
three years after permission had been given the 
“ Chosen People ” to return from captivity and re¬ 
build Jerusalem the walls of the city were still in 
ruins. Not because the people did not desire to re¬ 
build them but because of the bitter opposition of the 
surrounding small nations. In consequence the city 
was frequently raided and there was little assured 
safety of one’s person or goods. A city, in constant 
anxiety and terror, has a small chance of growth. 
This was as the surrounding peoples intended it 
should be. But where were all the promises given 
the “ Chosen People ” ? Why were they not ful¬ 
filled? 

A Rebuilding Expedition Organized.—The 
wretched condition of Jerusalem is brought to the 
attention of Nehemiah—1:1-3—by some men who 
had just returned to Susa, the capital of Persia. He 
is told of the great affliction of the inhabitants, of the 
city wall, that is broken down, and of the gates 


Nehemiah 


67 

burned with fire. Nehemiah, who holds a high office 
under Artaxerxes, the king, is shocked by what he 
hears. So much so that he weeps and mourns over 
the news and fasts certain days. It seems to him 
that he can do little but he goes to God in most ear¬ 
nest prayer—1: 5-11. A while after this, being be¬ 
fore the king, the king notices his anxiety, in his 
sadness of countenance and inquires the cause. 
Nehemiah tells him, and after telling him, he makes 
request that he be allowed to head “An Expedition 
to Rebuild the Walls of Jerusalem.” The character 
of Nehemiah shines forth, in this request, that he 
may help his afflicted people. He was at ease, in a 
good place, why should he concern himself about the 
misfortunes of others? He not only thought of his 
people in sore trouble, wept over them, enlisted the 
help of others, but he took the leading part in a 
difficult and dangerous undertaking—2:1-8. 

King Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah all due authority 
to do that which he asks of him. 

NehemialTs Midnight Ride (2:9-17).—Nehe¬ 
miah led no colony of people as Ezra had done. He 
came alone to Jerusalem—save that he had a military 
escort. Arrived in the city he presented his letters 
of the king’s authority. He was in the city three 
days and listened attentively to all that was told him 
about the condition of affairs. Then he determined 
to see for himself just what needed to be done. Tell¬ 
ing no one of his intentions, one night he took a few 
men and went out to see, for himself, just what state 
the walls were in. He rode on his horse as far as 
he could and then, when the way became impassable 


68 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


for the horse, he got off and made the rest of the 
way on foot. He realized the necessity of having 
exact, first hand knowledge of the difficulties of the 
Work he had come to do. 

Rebuilding Begins.—It is carried forward to 
completion. That which two large colonies of the 
“ Chosen People ” were unable to accomplish in 
seventy-three years this man Nehemiah brought to 
pass in fifty-one days. He had a distinct plan, in 
his mind, of what he wanted to do. There was no 
doubt about it. He presented that plan and urged 
its adoption. Pie organized the people into groups 
and gave to each group— 2: 17-3 : 32—a definite 
portion of the wall to build and held each group 
responsible for its work. No one can read the third 
chapter without being convinced of the masterly 
qualities of the mind of Nehemiah. We have here 
one of the really great men at work. His methods 
are the only methods which will bring results that 
are worth while to-day. 

Opposition Tactics of Nehemiah’s Enemies. — It 

is not to be supposed that those who opposed the 
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem for seventy- 
three years would remain inactive when they saw 
what was going on under the direction of Nehemiah. 
They were decidedly not inactive. They left no 
stone unturned to check the rebuilding of the wall. 
They used fair means and foul. It is in checkmating 
the efforts to stop this important work and keeping 
it going, at high speed, that the genius and greatness 
of Nehemiah shines forth. 

Let us look at some of the hostile methods em- 


Nehemiah 


69 

'ployed. They are still in use. The way Nehemiah 
dealt with them is still the best way. In this there 
has been no advance. Here this study is very, very 
practical. 

First method — Ridicule — 2 :19 and 4: 2. The 
enemies made fun of that which was being done. 
They said—“What do these feeble Jews?” Let 
them go on—the work will amount to nothing. Even 
if they do build, what they build will amount to 
nothing. A fox could break it down. People do not 
like to be ridiculed. Many a person has been laughed 
out of their religion and from goodness into evil. 
Nehemiah prayed over the matter and asked God to 
turn their reproach on their own head—4:4-6. 
Notice this that he kept right on, ignoring the ridicule, 
with the work. 

Second method — Fear —4:7-23. The enemies 
sent word that unless the work was stopped 
they would have a fight on their hands. This was 
an ultimatum. It is always the policy of evil to in¬ 
timidate wherever it can. It is always threatening 
and blustering of what it will do if its plans are 
interfered with. Nehemiah told the people to go on 
with the work. He set a watch. He organized 
companies to do any fighting that was necessary. He 
did not propose to be intimidated. No fight came. 
When evil finds it cannot make a man, engaged in a 
good work, afraid it lets up on its opposition. 

Third method — Guile —6:2—4. It is that of a 
conference. Nehemiah’s enemies said to him— 
“ Come let us talk this matter over.” There can be 
no harm in that to you. Nehemiah replied that 




70 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

there was nothing to talk over. That he was doing 
a great work and could not spend the time. Many 
a man gets entangled in evil alliances when he stops 
to hold conferences with those whose only purpose is 
to promote wrong things. There are some things 
that ought never to be discussed. 

Fourth method—False accusation —6 : 5-9. Nehe- 
miah was charged with doing what he did not 
for the benefit of the inhabitants of Jerusalem but for 
himself that he might cause the people to rebel and 
that he might be king. Word is sent back that that 
charge is a trumped up one and that there is no truth 
in it. It is simply and solely made to hinder the 
work. No good and disinterested work was ever 
done, by any one, but that this accusation was sure 
to be made—that there was a selfish motive behind it. 
The only way to treat this is by denial and going on 
with the work. 

Fifth method — Temptation to tempt God—6:10- 
14—by shutting himself—Nehemiah—up in the 
temple and hiding there as if he had done something 
wrong. He refused to do it. 

Sixth—Corruption of one's friends and associates 
—6:17-19—by the relation of evil and false stories. 
This is about the meanest thing an enemy can do. 
Nehemiah makes no reply save that it was done for 
the purpose of raising fear. 

How Nehemiah Bested His Enemies.—A man's 
real ability comes to the front when he has to cope 
with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and to de¬ 
vise ways and means to overcome them. A man's 
real character comes to the front when he stands 



Nehemiah 71 

true to his principles in the midst of strong tempta¬ 
tions and bitter opposition. Nehemiah stands these 
acid tests. There are certain things which stand out 
in this book of great deeds of the one who came, 
single handed, to do a great work in Jerusalem. 

First —He was a man of prayer. He goes again 
and yet again to God to help him solve his problems. 
Read the master prayer—1: 5-11. 

Second —He was single hearted in his devotion 
to his God, his fellow men and his work. 

Third —He took no chances of being defeated in 
carrying out his plans. He took every proper pre¬ 
caution against surprise attacks. 

Fourth —He encouraged those with whom he 
worked and put heart into them. 

Questions.—What is said in “ The Foreword ” of 
the intervening history between David and Nehe¬ 
miah? What is said of the city walls of Jerusalem? 
What is said of the expedition to rebuild the walls? 
Give an account of the midnight ride of Nehemiah. 
What can be said of the rebuilding plan? Give an 
account of the six methods, under “ Opposition 
Tactics,” used by Nehemiah’s enemies to hinder and 
prevent his work. How did Nehemiah get the better 
of his enemies—the four points ? 


X 


4 


JOB 

THE MAN OF UNDESERVED SUFFERING 

Job is a Prosperous Man of Large Affairs who 

comes suddenly face to face with the problem 
of undeserved suffering. The whole matter is set 
forth in the book of Job. It has no connection with 
Mosaic Law or Israelitish History and makes no 
allusion to them. 

Disaster After Disaster Falls Upon Job.—“ Four 
servants come running in turn to Job bringing him 
news of calamities: the first spoke of robbers who 
had destroyed property and servants; the second of 
lightning destroying sheep and shepherds; the third 
of three bands of marauders who stole all the camels 
and killed their drivers; the fourth of a cyclone 
which destroyed the manor house and killed his seven 
sons.” After a little time has passed he is made to 
suffer by the affliction of sore boils—1:1-22 to 2: 8. 
He does not know why. 

The Problem of Human Suffering is one of the 
big mysteries of life. Many attempts have been 
made to solve it. Religion and philosophy have had 
endless discussions over it and are still at them. 
There is no diminution of interest because it is a 
problem of universal personal concern. The experi¬ 
ences of Job, in a large or small way, are the experi¬ 
ences of every one. 


72 


Job 


73 

Deserved suffering we can understand. When 
a man has endeavored to put through an evil thing, 
and is caught and punished, we say that that man got 
just what he deserved. 

Undeserved suffering baffles us. We see losses 
of property, disasters of all sorts, and sickness be¬ 
falling those so far as we know, and so far as they 
can see themselves, are undeserved. Once in a while 
we get a glimpse of “ The Why ” of things but not 
often. But it should be said that that glimpse is 
often very illuminating. Hence our great interest 
in Job and the disasters which befell him. We see 
here a gleam of light. 

Events Hidden from Job.—In the opening chap¬ 
ter we are shown the cause of the beginning of Job’s 
troubles. We see what is going on behind the scenes. 
A test is proposed of this man’s integrity and faith. 
If he had been informed, in advance, he would have 
prepared himself but then there would have been no 
adequate test. This testing and trying out of men, 
for their fitness and adaptability for higher positions 
in the business and professional world, is what is 
going on every day. Some men in this way are put 
through grilling experiences—not for the purpose of 
inflicting undeserved suffering, far from it, but to 
ascertain whether the man has his heart in the work 
or does it because of the stipend or reward he gets 
from it. The direct charge made by Satan was that 
Job served God, not because he loved Him but from 
what he got out of it. He asks—“ Doth Job fear 
God for naught? ” Satan declares that God has put 
a hedge about Job that makes it to Job’s personal 


74 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

interest to serve Him. But take away that hedge 
and “ he will curse thee to thy face.” Job is then 
given over for the testing in the loss of his property 
and severe bodily affliction. 

Events Known to Job.—He knows nothing of 
what is going on behind the scenes; he only knows 
that he is being hit and hit hard. He is totally at a 
loss to know why the blows come and who is giving 

them. He loses his property. His children are 

♦ 

killed. He is afflicted with “ sore boils from the sole 
of his foot unto his crown.” Three candid friends 
accuse him of sins of which he is not guilty and 
which he abhors. It has been remarked that prob¬ 
ably Job could have withstood his other trials more 
easily if it had not been for his candid friends who 
tried to show him the error of his ways. From the 
replies of Job to his friends’ accusations of a con¬ 
cealed evil life which causes his troubles—now out 
in the open—Job can make no adequate reply save 
that he is not guilty in thought or action. He calls 
upon God to witness his innocence. He wishes he 
might find Him to present his cause before Him. 

The Point of the Book, or the Pivot on which it 
Turns is not so much the solution of the problem 
of undeserved suffering (for after all the discussions 
up and down and all around—we do not find much 
advancement in it) as the question of whether Job 
stands fast in his principles and his faith in God? 

The first test that Job will denounce his God, 
when he loses his property, is successfully passed. 
He does not lose his faith. 

The second test that Job will denounce his God, 


Job 


75 

when his body is sore afflicted, is successfully passed. 
He is proved to be a man who is single-hearted, irre¬ 
spective of what he gets for it, in his service of God. 

It should he noted that Satan proposes no third 
test. He has no hold upon a man who withstands 
his first two tests. These tests were not something 
peculiar to Job; they are being applied, in one way 
and another, to every man and every woman, to 
every boy and girl, every day. If successfully 
passed—there is a “ Going Up ” in the grade of moral 
character—if not—there is a “ Going Down ” in 
grade of moral character. 

The Three Candid Friends—Eliphaz, Bildad and 
Zophar—of Job appear early upon the scene and re¬ 
main until the end—Job 2:11 to 42:17. Every pos¬ 
sible phase of human suffering, and its application to 
human life, is discussed. There is here brought forth 
all that the human mind can suggest on the subject 
of retributive justice apart from revelation. There 
are three cycles in the discussion, in which each 
friend speaks and Job answers, except in the last 
when Zophar remains silent. This discussion is not 
only interesting but necessary in the showing of the 
supreme value of the position of Job. 

Before we consider this discussion further let us 
take a look at Job's “ Three Candid Friends.” They 
had evidently met by appointment, had talked over 
his case, and determined to go and labour with him 
on the error of his ways. They knew what they were 
going to say and how they were going to say it. Job 
doubtless said, before they got through with him, as 
many a man has said before and since—“ Good Lord, 



Studies of Great Bible Characters 


deliver me from candid friends ” who delight to tell 
me my faults while I hesitate to tell them theirs.” 
But when they saw Job—this former, big, hearty, 
upstanding man—so worn and thin and sick by rea¬ 
son of his boils they were struck dumb. They said 
nothing, at all, to him for seven days and seven 
nights. Then they girded themselves for their self- 
appointed task of bringing Job to a knowledge of his 
faults. 

The discussion is in three cycles —First—chapters 
4 to 14. The purpose is to show that sin is the 
cause of suffering. If a man is sorely afflicted he 
must have been a great sinner. Second—Ch. 15 
to 21. An advanced position is taken. Job is held 
to be actually guilty of some great sin which has 
produced his suffering. Third—22 to 31. Job’s 
friends are shown at their worst. The attempt is 
made to show that the punishments with which Job 
is afflicted are the very ones which would be meted 
out to a man who had yielded to the temptations of a 
man in his position. They insist that Job has com¬ 
mitted great sins. 

Job insists that he is innocent and stands fast 
in his integrity. He asserts that man knows little of 
the unsearchable wisdom of his Creator. 

The Speech of Elihu (Ch. 32 to 37).—A young 
man. A relative of Job. He asserts that Job has 
maintained his righteousness. He has a new theory 
to advance in regard to unmerited suffering and that 
is that, by it, God is instructing men in righteousness 
and saving them from the commission of sin. Job 
makes no answer. 


Job 


77 

The Divine Intervention (38 to 41 ). —First—■ 
God is represented as speaking out of a whirlwind and 
to call attention to the fact that man ought to know, 
at least, why such strange instincts are given even to 
animals before he attempts to argue with their Maker. 
Second—God is represented as saying that before 
man brings a charge of injustice against Him he 
should be able to rule the universe and reduce all 
things to order. If man is baffled by the simplest 
problems how can he contend with God ? 

The Restoration of Job (Ch. 42).—He and his 
friends bow themselves before the wisdom, power, 
justice and glory of God. 

Job has been tested by the most severe trials 
and stands fast in his integrity. It is shown that a 
man can and will serve God under what seem to be 
impossible and grueling conditions and circumstances. 

Questions.—What can be said of Job, the pros¬ 
perous man ? What about the disasters that fall upon 
Job? What is the problem of human suffering; 
deserved and undeserved? What can be said of the 
events hidden from Job? Of the events known to 
Job? What is the point of the book of Job? What 
can be said of the three “ Candid Friends ” of Job? 
Give their three arguments. Flow does Job answer? 
What can be said of the speech of Elihu, the Divine 
Intervention and Job’s restoration? 


XI 


ISAIAH 

THE WORLD PROPHET AND STATESMAN 

The Man—Isaiah.—He lived in the lower part of 
the city of Jerusalem. His father’s name was Amoz. 
He had a wife and two sons. He was very active, 
as a citizen, in all municipal affairs. He took a 
large interest in national and international politics. 
In all things that concerned the people, for their 
good, he could be counted on to take a leading part. 
He stood out in the open. Every one knew Isaiah. 

The Prophet—Isaiah.—He has been called “ The 
Greatest of All the Prophets.” We take here the 
account of his work found in the first thirty-nine 
chapters of the book which bears his name. The 
office of prophet was an ancient one. Samuel is 
looked upon as the founder, but the matter probably 
goes back beyond him. The Bible represents the 
prophet as one who speaks for another. He was 
supposed to communicate the message of God to His 
people. Read chapters one and six and see how emi¬ 
nently true this was of Isaiah. He says—“ Hear, O 
heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath 
spoken ”—1: 2. He believed that he was called of 
God to do his work—ch. 6. 

He taught —First, the greatness, unity, holiness, 
spirituality, goodness and justice of God; Sec- 

78 


Isaiah 


79 

ond, Love of country. He was an ardent patriot. 
For the religion of Jehovah must have a suitable 
place for its development and that place was “ The 
Chosen Nation ”; Third, The whole earth belonged 
to God and hence all nations came within the province 
of God’s prophet. He had messages for Assyria, 
Babylon, Egypt, Syria, Moab, Edom, etc. See chs. 
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, etc.; Fourth, The coming of 
a universal king and kingdom—chs. 2, 9, 11, etc.; 
Fifth, He called not only his own but all nations to 
repentance and faith in God. Many of his predic¬ 
tions in regard to the ancient nations have been ful¬ 
filled. What he taught is as pertinent to-day as it 
was when he was on earth; there is a freshness and 
beauty here that is unsurpassed. 

The Scene of His Labours—Jerusalem.—It was 
no mean city. It was midway between the great 
capitals of Assyria and Egypt. It was strongly forti¬ 
fied with huge walls. It was outwardly splendid in 
all its appointments. Here were the great palaces of 
the king, his nobles and the merchant princes. King 
Solomon’s Temple, probably the most magnificent 
religious structure ever erected, was still standing. 
Its business ventures reached to the ends of the earth. 

The Spirit of the Times was commercial; much, 
very much, like our own. It is remarkable how 
close the resemblance is. “ The Chosen People ” had 
passed through two stages of development—First, 
The nomadic, the desert wandering; Second, The 
agricultural, dwelling on and cultivating the land 
which they had conquered in Canaan. Now there 
had come a third state in which the Jewish nation had 


8 o Studies of Great Bible Characters 


become traders having large dealings with the sur¬ 
rounding nations; fitting out caravans and ships and 
sending and receiving embassies. The head offices 
were all in Jerusalem. Here was no longer “ A Shut 
in Nation.” The growth of the commercial spirit is 
very marked from the times of King Solomon on 
through the divided kingdom. 

We have now to deal with the city and city 
life developed at the expense of the country, social 
wants and sins, the evils of great wealth quickly won, 
dire poverty—the dark shadow flung by immense 
wealth—and ostentatious luxury. Foreign vices 
were brought in with foreign goods. The times 
changed and the people with them. “ The Chosen 
Nation ” sought not to be conformed to the religion 
of Jehovah and His laws but to be like the great and 
evil nations with which they were surrounded. 

It is quite necessary to keep in mind this back¬ 
ground in order to understand what Isaiah tried 
to do. He knows just what will happen—and it hap¬ 
pened—if the people do not take heed to their ways. 
He raises a warning voice. He pleads. He entreats. 
He urges the people to return to God and to obey 
Him before it is too late. He is no sour and dour 
prophet but he paints glowing pictures of the people’s 
future if they will turn to God. These pictures be¬ 
come reality when they do turn to God; but un¬ 
fortunately the return is short lived. 

The Political Situation.—From recent dis¬ 
coveries in ancient Bible lands we are just beginning 
to realize the gre?it issues with which Isaiah was 
dealing. Judah, a comparatively small kingdom, 


Isaiah 


8l 


after Israel was conquered and taken into captivity 
in 722, was not easy to keep as an independent king¬ 
dom between the two huge empires,—dividing be¬ 
tween them the sovereignty of the then known world. 
The two empires—Assyria on the north and Egypt on 
the south—were always threatening to gather in this 
buffer state of Judah. Each hesitated to take it but 
intrigued to get it to declare itself. 

Let us take one thing that happened which 
will show what, a big task Isaiah had. He 
prophesied under the kings of Judah—740 to 701 
b. c.—Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. Isaiah 
managed to keep Uzziah and Jotham from burning 
their fingers with Assyria and Egypt. Ahaz, how¬ 
ever, would have none of Isaiah’s advice. He re¬ 
pudiated the worship of Jehovah, closed the temple. 
He urged the worship of Baal and offered human 
sacrifices. A quarrel was picked with Israel and 
Syria and when Ahaz found that he would be de¬ 
feated he called upon Assyria to help him. That was 
just what Assyria had been hoping he would do. The 
result was, in the end a while afterwards, the cap¬ 
tivity of Israel and the near wiping out of Judah. 

Isaiah advocated the policy of letting the big 
evil nations alone , entirely alone. Let them fight 
their own battles. The little nation that got mixed 
up with them was sure to get the worst of it. Then 
their religion was totally and utterly opposite to that 
of “ The Chosen People.” It allowed and advocated 
immoralities which would, in time, wreck the nation 
—which all came true. 

Warnings Against Entangling Alliances.—Isaiah 


82 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

continued to urge, in the strongest language possible, 
that Judah stand out against political and religious 
alliances with nations whose purposes and ideals 
differed fundamentally with those of “ The Chosen 
People/' No matter how attractive they might seem 
to be; yet, in the end, they would be disastrous. 
This is still good advice not only for nations but 
individuals. 

Take the story of King Hezekiah—told in the 
thirty-sixth and thirty-seventh chapters. Sennacherib, 
king of Assyria, when he found he could not gain, by 
diplomacy, the little kingdom of Judah, came with 
a huge army and besieged Jerusalem. He demanded 
its surrender or sack and pillage. Hezekiah went to 
Isaiah and Isaiah adhered to his policy of making no 
entangling alliance with Assyria. The result was 
that Sennacherib retired and the little kingdom of 
Judah remained independent through its trust in its 
God. 

The urge of Isaiah—against entangling alli¬ 
ances and covenants between nations whose sole 
reliance is on force, as in the case of Assyria, and 
others who seek to advance by the methods of peace 
and service—is still the only policy which will win 
out. Every individual, to really amount to anything, 
must stand fast, in his integrity, no matter what 
happens. 

Isaiah's Work for His Own People. —He was an 
ardent patriot. He realized that ‘‘The Religion of 
Jehovah ” must have a suitable environment, in which 
to live and work. No matter how strongly a nation 
or man may be grounded in right principles they are 


Isaiah 


83 

hindered or helped by wrong or right surroundings. 
Isaiah understood this thing very thoroughly and 
hence he was strong in his advocacy of that which 
bettered his city and his nation. If there had been 
popular elections in those days he would have been 
found advocating, openly and enthusiastically, the 
right things in the campaign, voting himself and 
urging others to vote. 

World Prophet and Statesman. —No one realized 
more than Isaiah that not only must good work be 
done at home but that missionary work must be done 
abroad. That the field was the world and it was the 
business of every one having the good of his own 
people at heart also to have the good of the world at 
heart. Hence his prophecies cover the nations of 
the whole earth. This does not contradict Isaiah’s 
position in regard to keeping out of entangling alli¬ 
ances with evil. There is no hope that way of better¬ 
ing anybody or anything. 

Modern Uses of Isaiah’s Prophecies. —First— To 
strengthen our faith in the certainty of God’s 
reign and rule upon this earth. We go and read the 
resurrected monuments of Assyria and Egypt and 
see that all that Isaiah said of their might is true. 
We see also that all he said of their total ruin and 
destruction has come true. It was a most incredu¬ 
lous thing—when the prophecies were uttered—that 
they would ever be fulfilled. Again that which he 
said about the coming of The Messiah was begun, 
hundreds of years, afterwards and is even now going 
on unto fulfillment. Second—To give us far-sighted¬ 
ness. That we may see and believe that however evil 


84 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

may seem to triumph that, in the end, it is sure to be 
defeated. Third—to help us to believe that every¬ 
thing we do to help advance the Kingdom of God 
will surely have its reward. 

Questions.—What can be said of Isaiah as a 
man? As a prophet? Where was the scene of his 
labours? What was the spirit of the times? What 
was the political situation ? What were the warnings 
against entangling alliances ? What was Isaiah’s 
work for his own people? What can be said of 
Isaiah as a world prophet and statesman? Give the 
three modern uses of Isaiah’s prophecies. 


XII 


JEREMIAH 

THE MAN WHO KEPT FAITH UNDER HARD 

LIMITATIONS 

Jeremiah, the Prophet, is burdened with oppres¬ 
sive restraints. Serving God, with all his heart, and 
obeying Him, in all things, he never gets out from 
under his restrictions. He never has a respite. 
Things, with him, grow worse—never better. Abra¬ 
ham, Joseph, Moses, Nehemiah, all had a great deal 
of trouble but they overcame it. Even Job, after 
going down, away down, into the valley of humilia¬ 
tion, came again to the upland of joy and prosperity, 
but not so this prophet. 

The Question Presented is—Flow could Jeremiah 
keep his faith and do his “ God-Appointed Work” in 
the midst of such depressing circumstances ? This is 
a very practical modern question. Why? Because 
men, to-day, not infrequently get into difficulties, 
through no fault of their own. They can see no hope 
of extricating themselves. Friends, relatives, and 
associates seem utterly indifferent to their plight. 
Again men and women, stirred by the evils they see 
about them, and the havoc they are making in tear¬ 
ing down all good things, start campaigns of reform 
only to be laughed at and ridiculed as Jeremiah was. 

The Book of Jeremiah, where the life, call, and 

85 


86 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


work of the prophet are set forth, consists of fifty- 
two chapters of condensed material. It is a com¬ 
bination of prophecy, history and biography. 

It may be divided into nine sections —First, 
Ch. 1, The prophet’s call. His mission is not only 
to his own but all nations; Second, chs. 2-6, The 
sins of Judah set forth; Third, chs. 7-10, The call to 
repentance. Calamities are sure to come unless the 
warning is heeded; Fourth, chs. 11-13, An appeal is 
made to the covenant between God and His people; 
Fifth, chs. 14-22, The failure of the people to heed 
the prophet. Disaster and captivity foretold; Sixth, 
chs. 23-29, Jeremiah sees no hope of betterment in 
his time for this “ Chosen People ” and he looks 
ahead for seventy years and sees a return from 
captivity; Seventh, chs. 30-33, Consolations that will 
come after seventy years of captivity; Eighth, chs. 
34-45, Incidents of the siege and destruction of Jeru¬ 
salem. (Chs. 35 and 36 are out of place, here, and 
belong to the reign of King Jehoiakim.) Chs. 37-45, 
Jeremiah’s personal history during the siege of Jeru¬ 
salem; Ninth, chs. 46-52, World-wide survey of 
nations and prophecies concerning them. This book 
ought to be read through. 

The Call (Ch. 1) came to Jeremiah in the little 
village of Anathoth, north of Jerusalem, where he 
had his home. He was of priestly descent. He was 
commanded to form no domestic or social ties (ch. 
16:2). He was set apart for such a great work that 
he must forego all pleasant relations with other peo¬ 
ple. 

The Treatment which he receives from his own 



Jeremiah 


87 

people was hard to hear. His message was ridiculed. 
The chief governor, Pashur the priest, in the house 
of the Lord in Jerusalem ordered him to be beaten 
and placed in the stocks as an object of scorn (ch. 
20:1, 2). King Jehoiakim was so contemptuous of 
the message of Jeremiah that he had received of 
God (ch. 36), that when but a few pages had been 
read to him (ch. 36:23) he cut it to pieces with 
a penknife and threw it into the fire and it was 
burned up. These are but instances of what Jere¬ 
miah was constantly called upon to bear. He was 
human and of a sensitive nature and he was cut to 
the quick. No man likes to be ridiculed and laughed 
at when he is trying to help his fellow men and do 
God’s service. 

The Times were sadly out of joint. It is not a 
pleasant picture which this age presents. Old-time 
big empires were breaking up. Doubtless many 
were looking for the end of the world or the death of 
civilization and the return to barbarism. We are 
just beginning to realize the extent, in culture, to 
which these nations had attained. The recent exca¬ 
vations of buried cities and ancient tombs show this. 

The World War. Jeremiah’s prophecies con¬ 
cern Egypt and Babylon and Assyria, etc. He saw 
Egypt, in his time, priding herself on her might and 
power. He saw Assyria and Babylon contending for 
the mastery of the world. He saw Assyria, the levi¬ 
athan of empires, crumble and go to pieces before 
Babylon. He saw Egypt dispute with Babylon and 
go down before her. He saw these mighty nations 
kick Judah about as football players kick the leather 


88 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

ball and with no more concern for it save to win a 
certain goal. To one not having the key, in this 
mix-up of nations, it must have seemed a hopeless 
tangle. Shortly Judah was to be taken captive by 
Babylon, the mighty. But wait! Just wait! God 
showed to Jeremiah the key to it all. Read what the 
prophet says about these great nations—especially 
Babylon (ch. 50) and note how they are all to go—be 
wiped clean off the slate and this little nation of 
Judah is to survive them all. This prophecy has 
literally come to pass. Yet this is the far-sighted 
great man, Jeremiah, which his people ridiculed. 

The downfall of Jerusalem, the raising of its 
walls and the destruction of the temple. Everything 
was to go and did go. Jeremiah predicted it and saw 
it come to pass. Because he predicted it, he was 
maligned, ridiculed and persecuted. The people 
could have prevented it by repentance but they would 
not repent. Jeremiah prophesied during the reigns 
of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiachim, Jehoiachin and 
Zedekiah. Under the last king, in 586 b. c., Jeru¬ 
salem was taken and her walls torn down. 

The Mission of Jeremiah (that Jerusalem was 
to be devastated and the people taken into captivity to 
Babylon) was not an agreeable one. He was like a 
clergyman deputed to accompany a criminal to the 
scaffold who has been convicted of a brutal murder. 
The man has been proved guilty beyond the shadow 
of a doubt but he has no sense of regret for his crime 
and no word of repentance. He turns a deaf ear to 
all the clergyman has to say and resents his attend¬ 
ance. Judah had sinned and continued to sin fla- 


Jeremiah 89 

grantly and openly and when the sin was made plain 
there was no word of regret. 

The Outlook of the prophet is marvelous. He 
has seen the map of the future and just what is going 
to be done. He can find no comfort or hope in the 
present for God’s purposes cannot be worked out in 
a year or two. He takes the centuries to bring His 
plans to pass. The difference between the small man 
and the big man is the difference in seeing only to-day 
and beyond to-day into the future—the far distant 
future. 

How did Jeremiah Keep His Faith Under the 
Hard Limitations with which He Had to Contend? 

is not so hard to answer when we come to see what 
that faith was and what it meant to him. He was 
under the limitations of—to speak humanly—loneli¬ 
ness, ostracism—no one wanted anything to do with 
him—contempt and ridicule of his fellow men. He 
was under the limitations of seeing everything which 
he had learned to love, respect and reverence go by 
the board. No longer would there be any Holy City 
or Temple. 

He kept his faith and prophesied most enthu¬ 
siastically of the return of his people from captivity 
and the glorious future in store for them; First, 
because he believed he had seen God’s map of the 
future and its brightness so that the darkest immedi¬ 
ate present did not trouble him at all. What to-day 
is the poverty and poor condition of a man who is to 
come, to-morrow, into a great inheritance? Second 
—He had learned, what every one must learn in this 
world, to be at all happy, that material things can 


90 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

never satisfy an immortal soul. Stripped of all 
possessions what is a man in his relations to his God ? 
How does he stand in the riches or poverty of his 
soul? Third—He had come so in touch with God 
that he was seeing, through God’s eyes, what evil and 
sin and righteousness really are. No man ever 
fought a harder battle or gained a greater victory 
than Jeremiah. He had the upward way, open to all, 
of escape. He took it. Fourth—He never gave up 
his work. 

Practical Applications.—They are many. Mul¬ 
titudes of people are lamenting over their limi¬ 
tations, hard, bitter and oppressive. “ We are 
hemmed in on all sides by relentless limitations.” 
There are the limitations of time—we never have 
enough of it; physical strength; mental equipment— 
we cannot think things out as we want to; money! 
who has sufficient? So many things to do with a 
too limited equipment to do them. We expand, as 
much as we can, and yet cannot get beyond our 
limitations. We are apt to meet our limitations and 
chafe under them, we go limp, we fight but there they 
are just the same. The Jeremiah w r ay was to accept 
them, to be content and work under them making 
the way of escape upward to God and endeavouring 
to carry out His purposes right where he was. 

Questions.—What can be said of the prophet’s 
burden ? What is the question presented ? Give the 
nine parts of the book of Jeremiah. What can be 
said of Jeremiah’s call, treatment, times, mission and 
outlook? How did Jeremiah keep his faith under 
hard limitations? What practical applications can 
be made? 


XIII 


EZEKIEL 

THE MAN WHO HAD GREAT VISIONS 

The Boy, Ezekiel, in the City of Jerusalem was 

of priestly descent. He lived in the time of the good 
King Josiah. He saw a wonderfully prosperous city. 
New buildings were going up everywhere of the most 
solid and ornate construction. The old Temple of 
Solomon, which had fallen somewhat into disrepair, 
was being put into fine shape. It was thronged with 
worshippers. The “ Book of the Law ” was made 
prominent. The nation was enlarging its borders. 
Everything seemed to point to a long era of glorious 
prosperity. The boy was very proud of his city, 
and of his country, and he had ample cause to be. 

The Man, Ezekiel, in the City of Jerusalem saw 
all this prosperity come to naught. The people were, 
as time went on, less and less in earnest about the 
worship of God and there came a falling away from 
moral and religious things. Only the shell of religion 
remained—the old spirituality had departed. King 
Josiah’s head was turned, by the outward prosper¬ 
ity, in the latter part of his long reign of thirty-one 
years. He was infected by the military spirit which 
animated the big nations that were about him. A 
small king of a small nation he dared to meddle in 
the quarrel of big kings of big nations. He sadly 

9 1 


g2 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

misjudged events. He went up against the King 
of Egypt, Pharaoh Necho, as he went to battle with 
the King of Assyria. Josiah was defeated, after 
being warned to turn back, and slain at the battle 
of Megiddo. Jerusalem fell to the Egyptians and all 
things began to go from bad to worse. The won¬ 
derful glory of city and nation rapidly faded away. 
Again Egypt, waning in power, fell before Babylon 
and Jerusalem went with Egypt as a minor prize. 

The Captive, Ezekiel, on His Way to Babylon. 
—He is now about twenty-five years of age. Jeru¬ 
salem could not or would not remain quiet. Her 
continued agitation against Babylon brought upon 
her renewed punishment. Nebuchadnezzar, king of 
Babylon, in 597 b. c. came up against the city and 
carried away all the treasures of the city and the 
temple, the court, its officers and the craftsmen, leav¬ 
ing only the poorer people. In all about 10,000 cap¬ 
tives were taken—Ezekiel was of this number— to 
Babylon. It was a long and weary journey, on foot, 
of hundreds of miles. This was the first captivity. 
The second in 586 was worse in that the walls of the 
city were razed and the temple torn down. 

The Questions Raised in the Minds of Ezekiel 
and His Fellow Captives were not easy to answer. 
As they walked by day, on the way to Babylon, and 
sat by the camp fires at night talking things over 
there were many things which sorely puzzled them. 
The trend of affairs was all too plain. The doom of 
the city and nation seemed fixed beyond the shadow 
of a doubt; they were but enacting the events of 
the first chapter. They reviewed the story of Abra- 


Ezekiel 


93 

ham, Isaac and Jacob and of Moses and Joshua. 
They spoke of the glorious reign of King David. 
They spoke of all the splendid promises that had been 
made to them. “ And this; and this is the end; cap¬ 
tivity to a nation which despises and scorns our 
God and our religion! ” they said. Their mourning 
and regret, however, seemed all to be for the ma¬ 
terial prosperity, which, for them, had passed away. 
There were some who were openly rebellious and 
denounced their God and their faith in Him. Others 
were of sad countenance and kept still. Here and 
there were men and women who declared that faith 
in God was an affair of the heart and not of the 
rise or fall of national life or any temple building— 
no matter how ornate. 

The Call to Prophesy did not come to Ezekiel 
until five years after he had been settled, as a captive 
by the river of Chebar, not so very far from Baby¬ 
lon. The condition of captivity was not hard. The 
people were allowed to do business; to acquire land; 
to marry. They were more like colonists. Still they 
were in exile—they were far from home and no en¬ 
forced detention is easy to bear. The same questions 
debated on the exile journey were still up only in a 
more intensified form as the years went by. Then 
suddenly the explanations—the answers of the en¬ 
forced exile—began to come. This call was very real 
to Ezekiel—chapter 1. He says—“ As I was among 
the captives by the river Chebar the heavens were 
opened and I saw visions of God.” 

The hook in which the prophecies are written 
and visions set. forth , consists of three parts: 


94 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

First, chapters 1-24, Predictions of the fall of Jeru¬ 
salem. It is now made plain to Ezekiel that the 
downfall of this city is not due to any lack of God’s 
keeping His promises but through the sins of the 
people. He has the same message as Jeremiah here. 
Second, chapters 25-32, Predictions in regard to 
seven foreign nations—Ammon, Moab, Edom, 
Philistia, Tyre, Sidon and Egypt. God is not only 
the God of Israel but of all nations. The same fate, 
for their sins, will overtake them. Third, chapters 
33-48, The restoration of Israel. There is no restora¬ 
tion for other nations. There is an ideal return to 
the land, an ideal temple built, etc. They who try 
to press too closely these prophecies miss the spir¬ 
itual significance of them. 

Among the places where Ezekiel made known his 
prophecies was his own house—where he met the 
elders—3 : 24; 8:1; 12:3; 14:1; 20:1. 

Great and New Ideas and Ideals—First (Ch. 1) 
—God is holy, pure, righteous and just. That truth 
had been emphasized before Ezekiel. Here new light 
is shed upon it, in other chapters than the first, from 
the fact brought out that the tabernacle, with its 
priests and sacrifices, is not absolutely essential to its 
proper appreciation. God can make Himself known 
to the individual heart, and His glory shown without 
external aids. His holiness, purity and justice are 
not austere and hard—here a new note is struck— 
for He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked— 
chapter 33:11. How revolutionary these new ideas 
were we, in our age, can scarcely conceive. Second 
—Individualism, or individual responsibility for one’s 


Ezekiel 


95 

own deeds. " The soul that sinneth—it, and no other 
soul, shall die.” Here a man is no longer bound up 
with a nation or national life but stands or falls upon 
what he is in his own heart. See chapters 18: 4f¥. 
and 33: lOff. Third—The community of God is 
“ the community of saved and worshipping souls 
drawn to each other because drawn to their common 
Lord. This is the real significance of the last nine 
chapters, with their elaborate description of city and 
temple. Institutions are not everything but they are 
something . . .if men are to live and worship in 
concert.” But the life is not in the institution but in 
the hearts of the individuals who set up and support 
the institution. Fourth—The terrible power of sin 
to mar and destroy. This has been shown in the 
overthrow of Judah. 

Hence we see in “ The Exile ” the rise of the 
synagogue where there were no sacrifices but free 
worship of God with free speech in regard to the 
things of God. 

A New Epoch Came in with Ezekiel.— Old 

things passed away. He, himself, came closely into 
contact with God. Ritualistic worship, as in the 
temple, was no good unless the individual soul 
through it came to see God. This is the truth which 
he argues over and over again. Some have declared 
that he puts this truth too bluntly but it was a truth 
by which he lived and wanted others to live. He 
saw and believed in God, by the direct method him¬ 
self, and he wanted others to have the joy he had in 
doing this. 

He no longer looks back with regret to the things 



Studies of Great Bible Characters 


of the past. He looks forward, with a great and 
increasing joy. 

Visions.—To attempt to interpret them would 
take more space than this study affords. No method 
of interpretation is without its difficulties while the 
meaning is not far to seek. Between the visions 
here and the book of Revelation there is a strong 
resemblance; the throne of God, the rainbow that 
encircles it and the four living creatures that attend. 
We have the same figure of wicked Babylon. There 
is a judgment of the nations. We have here a temple 
and there a city, both foursquare and measured with 
a reed; neither has yet been realized. Ezekiel and 
John were lifted up to see the greatness of God in 
time to come. Here is a conflict between sin and evil 
but there is no doubt of the final victory of those 
who trust in God. Ezekiel looks further than the 
end of the captivity; he looks to the end, as John 
does, of all things—chapters 7 and 26—and it is 
often difficult to tell which is meant. 

For the Accomplishment of Any Important Task 
There Must Be a Man of Great Visions.—Other¬ 
wise there will be very little done. The architect 
must have quite fully in mind his plan of a sky¬ 
scraper or cathedral, or the building, which he wishes 
to erect, before he goes to his drawing-board. The 
artist visualizes his painting before he takes up his 
brush; he knows in advance, in vision, what he wants 
to do. The inventor does not start out to simply in¬ 
vent something—he does not know what—he knows 
what he is looking for before he begins to try to 
find it. The hard-headed business man is a visionary 


Ezekiel 


97 

of the largest sort, if he is any good, for he sees 
ships on shipless seas; he sees tunnels through moun¬ 
tains where none exist; he sees irrigated farms where 
no farms are; he sees trade—where now is no trade 
—coming from far to enrich his bank account. Why, 
because he must see, in vision, before he can get 
at the reality. Every great patriot has seen in vision 
that which he wanted to make real for his country. 

Ezekiel saw in his visions that which he 
wanted really to come to pass. Some of these things 
have come to pass; some remain to be fulfilled. 

By his visions he comforted , he instructed, he 
encouraged, he inspired and led to higher things his 
people when their spirit was ready to die within 
them. Ezekiel’s visions can do the same for us. JNTo 
man can have any satisfaction in life unless he is led 
by the vision of a brighter future which he hopes to 
make real. 

Questions.—Give the experiences of the boy, the 
man and the captive, Ezekiel. What were the ques¬ 
tions raised in the minds of Ezekiel and his fellow 
captives? Give an account of the call of Ezekiel 
and the divisions of his book. Give an account of 
the four new ideas and ideals. What can be said 
about the new epoch that came in with Ezekiel? 
What about his visions? Why, for the accomplish¬ 
ment of any important task, must there be a man 
with visions? What did Ezekiel do with his visions 
for his people ? 


XIV 


DANIEL 

THE MAN WHO MADE ADVANTAGE OUT 
OF DISADVANTAGE 

What Advantage Can There Be in Disadvan¬ 
tage?—Troubles, cares, perplexities and anxieties 
are continually forcing themselves upon our atten¬ 
tion. We do not have to look for them; they hunt 
us. No matter where or how we try to hide; they 
find us. The practical question, ever before us, is— 
How shall we deal with them? Run from them? 
They can run faster than we can. Fight them? 
They are stronger than we are and can get the better 
of us. Lie down? Then they delight in tramping 
upon us; they show us no mercy. We deal in this 
study with a man who had a new method of dealing 
with his troubles. He sought and found an ad¬ 
vantage in every disadvantage and he made it serve 
to lift him up to higher things. 

The Teaching of the Book of Daniel, taken as a 
book, shows how God turns what seem to men to 
be defeats for Him, into His honour and glory. We 
do not here enter into the questions of the time of 
writing this book, the interpretations of the visions 
or the historical difficulties. They are many. They 
are great. They are important. They are interest¬ 
ing. But they are aside from our present purpose. 

98 


Daniel 


99 

First—The supremacy of God over all men and 
all nations . We see here mighty kings and na¬ 
tions usurping power over the earth and shoul¬ 
dering aside God’s rule as they do now, only, in the 
end, to be made to serve His purpose. Take the sec¬ 
ond chapter—“ The Dream of Great Empires.” 
Here are earth rulers seemingly governing the world 
to the disadvantage of “ The Kingdom of God ” yet 
at the last—2: 34-46—made of advantage in bringing 
in “ The Universal Messianic Kingdom.” In every 
chapter we see advantage turned to disadvantage. 
Take the third chapter. It seemed a great pity that 
“ The Three Hebrew Children ” should be cast into 
a fiery furnace, for their faith, yet notice how it 
turned out in the proclamation of the king for the 
worship of their God throughout His empire. 

Second—Comfort to the captive “ Chosen People ” 
that their captivity would turn to their glory, as it 
did. 

The Two Parts.—This book consists of two parts 
—Part one, chapter 1, Daniel and three youths taken 
into captivity; chapter 2, The dream of great em¬ 
pires; chapter 3, The fiery furnace and the faithful 
three; chapter 4, The great tree and the stricken 
king; chapter 5, The impious feast of a Babylonian 
king in which he seeks to set God at a disadvantage 
—verse 3—only to have his kingdom taken from him; 
chapter 6, Daniel is thrown to the lions for his faith, 
only to be rescued and have greater honour. 

Part two, chapter 7, Vision of the four beasts; 
chapter 8, The ram and the he-goat; chapter 9, The 
seventy weeks; chaoters 10-12, The last vision. “ It 

; > 1 . 

) > 



loo Studies of Great Bible Characters 


is here taught, right out in the open, that this su¬ 
preme God of the earth removes kings and sets up 
kings and that no king can have any power, strength 
or glory unless it is given to him from above. ,, The 
coming of a Messianic King who shall set up a 
world-wide kingdom—to supersede all others—is 
foretold. 

The Person of Daniel.—Picture him. Read the 
specifications, up to which he had to measure, given 
by the king. One of the “ Children in whom was no 
blemish but well favoured and skilful in all wisdom, 
and cunning in knowledge, and understanding 
science, and such as had ability in them to stand in 
the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the 
learning and tongue of the Chaldeans/’ Such were 
the instructions given by Nebuchadnezzar to Ash- 
penaz, the master of his eunuchs, so the story reads, 
when he gave instructions that certain of the young 
men of the captives from Jerusalem, about 597 b. c., 
should be selected—chapter 1: 3, 4—for service in 
his palace. Daniel must have been a man of fine 
appearance, grace of manners and splendid ability. 

Outward Advantages.—They seemed many. 
Life in an oriental palace where every wish could be 
gratified. An education in all that the Chaldeans 
could teach and their learning was not small. An 
opportunity, if rightly taken, to rise to high office. 
A chance to become rich, beyond the dreams of 
avarice. A throng of obsequious servants. But, to 
the human outlook, and Daniel must have thought 
deeply on this matter, one must bow to the evil cus¬ 
toms of an oriental court and must worship the gods 



Daniel 


101 


that, from his childhood, he had been taught were no 
gods. He must renounce his religion. Was he pre¬ 
pared to give up all that had been taught him about 
the only Great and True God of his fathers? Here 
was the puzzle. 

It is a modern, perplexing, every-day question to 
many a young man. What shall he do when asked 
to do things which are against his principles in order 
to stay in a certain company or go in society that has 
no use for his God ? See how Daniel answered it. 

The Disadvantages of Daniel's Position soon 
manifested themselves. To a young man of his 
bringing up and his faith they were bound to appear 
very quickly—and they did. The temptations of a 
luxurious life are often more subtle and stronger 
than in one of hard work and poverty. Pride, ar¬ 
rogance, selfishness, jealousy, hatred and meanness 
wait upon a life lived in luxury, without a noble 
thought or aim. 

Advantage Out of Disadvantage.—Rich food. 
Daniel soon saw that the food served from the king’s 
table was a positive detriment to him and his com¬ 
panions. He knew that to refuse it would bring him 
into disrepute—1:8-21. Why not conform? Why 
not do as others did? Why make a fuss? These 
are the questions which come to those who feel the 
disadvantage of doing what they ought not to do. 
Note the way in which Daniel got this food question 
settled and the good that came out of this trouble. 

The worship of the one true God for Daniel’s com¬ 
panions. The fact that they did not worship the 
Babylonian idols could not remain under cover long. 


102 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

It redounded to their disadvantage. They were 
summoned before the king—chapter 3—and thrown 
into a fiery furnace. Yet the fact that they remained 
unhurt caused the king to make a decree that lifted 
them to great honour. Again out of disadvantage 
came great advantage. 

Daniel’s worship of his God to the neglect of the 
Persian deities—chapter 6—when he passed to the 
Persian Court from the Babylonian was soon no¬ 
ticed. The jealous courtiers, ever eager to find some¬ 
thing against one so eminent soon noticed this and 
determined to bring about his downfall through it. 
Here is a case not uncommon in its likeness to every¬ 
day life. A man sticking closely to his principles 
may, for them, be put at a disadvantage. Now when 
Daniel knew of the plot against him to make him 
renounce his worship of his God under penalty of 
being thrown to the lions he paid no attention to it. 
Surely now this worship was a disadvantage. But 
Daniel when he went to pray did not even take the 
trouble to close his window. He was thrown into 
the lion’s den but came out of it unharmed. Result 
—the exaltation of Daniel and great gain to the cause 
of the God whom he served and loved. We might 
take every incident in Daniel’s life and find that he 
ever held a steady course in his belief and deeds and 
saw in everything the advantage that could come out 
of disadvantage. 

Characteristics of Daniel.—First—Rock-bed con¬ 
victions of what he ought and ought not to do. 
There are those who believe strongly but they have 
no convictions. Second—Willingness to take the 


Daniel 


103 

consequences of his belief. Third—Determination 
to see the thing through to the end—whatever that 
end might be. Fourth—Hopefulness of the bright¬ 
est and most cheerful kind. Fifth—Restfulness 
upon his God that He would see him through. We 
note an absence of worry in Daniel that is remark¬ 
able. 

Daniel was no coddled saint but a stalwart one 
to whom persecution came only to make him of more 
use. 

“ This sort of character is the goal to which God 
will push us, even over rough roads if He must. The 
goal justifies both His wisdom and the roads.” 

Questions.—What advantage in disadvantage? 
What is the teaching in the book of Daniel? What 
can be said of the person of Daniel? What were 
his outward advantages? What were the disadvan¬ 
tages? What advantages came out of the disadvan¬ 
tages of Daniel’s position? Give the characteristics 
of Daniel. 


XV 




HABAKKUK 

THE MAN WHO QUESTIONED GOD’S 
WORLD POLICIES 

\ 

Questioning God.—This might stand for the title 
of the book of Habakkuk. The prophet is very bold. 
He uses strong language—1:1-4. He says—“ The 
burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O 
Lord, how long shall I cry and thou wilt not hear! 
even cry unto thee of violence and thou wilt not 
save? Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause 
me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence 
are before me: and there are that raise up strife 
and contention.” This is not the cry of an irreverent 
but a reverent man who sees evil and wrong and 
iniquity flourishing and, in spite of the efforts made 
to check them, growing and increasing. Men see the 
best and most ably planned campaigns against giant 
wrongs and evil men, sitting in the places of power, 
come to naught. This is a cry that goes up in our 
age, as it did in that long past time. Where is God 
that He does not do something? 

The Problem of Habakkuk is the same as that of 
Job. Read what this “ Man of Undeserved Suffer¬ 
ing ” says about the evils which have befallen him 
and for which he can find no human explanation. 
The difference is, however, that with Job the prob- 

104 


Habakkuk 


105 

lem is personal; here it widens out into social and 
national evils, which go on unchecked. 

Jeremiah who had an evil nation to prophesy 
against, in Judah, sees his nation punished for its 
sin by the Chaldeans. But Habakkuk is not satisfied 
with the fact that his nation will get what it deserves 
at the hands of the Chaldeans. He wants to know 
why it is that a wicked nation is selected to punish 
another wicked nation and what is to become of the 
big evil nation when it has conquered the little one. 
Will God let the Chaldeans go unpunished for all 
their wrongs, which are a multitude? It is a world 
problem. God is questioned in regard to His govern¬ 
ment of the world. 

The Man and the Prophet.—We know little 
about Habakkuk save that he was a man of deep 
religious convictions and statesman-like mind. He 
lived in Jerusalem and had some connection with 
the temple—and “the Temple Choir”—chapter 
3 :19. He had the office of prophet—1:1—and was 
the eighth of the minor prophets. 

His environment was not a happy one. It is 
generally thought that he prophesied about 600 b. c. 
In his day he had seen “ A World War.” Great 
nations were contending for the mastery. Egypt and 
Assyria; then Babylon and Assyria. He had seen the 
dreaded Chaldean override both Assyria and Egypt. 
He saw that soon, as it came to pass, the Chal¬ 
deans would destroy Judah and Jerusalem. He ;was 
in the midst of great world movements. 

At home, in Jerusalem, he saw King Jehoiakim 
playing the fool. When taxes were high and the 


lo6 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


people oppressed, Jehoiakim indulged in selfish and 
lavish personal expenditures. He built a splendid 
palace with forced and unpaid labour. Religion was 
at a low ebb. Iniquities, of the most flagrant kind, 
flourished unchecked. He saw his beloved city and 
nation headed straight for destruction. He could 
see no hope in any of the great nations—they were 
worse than his own. 

He was puzzled and disheartened at the state of 
things. His human nature asserted itself and led to 
the outcry in chapter 1: 1-4. 

The Solutions Offered for the Problem.—The 
book, of three chapters, opens with a dialogue be¬ 
tween Habakkuk and God on “ The World Policies 
of God ” and the delayed punishment of evil. God 
is reverently challenged to show cause why “ the law 
is slacked and judgment does not go forth?” 

First Question —Ch. 1:1-4. The local question 
of Judah’s punishment for her sins is considered. 
Why it delays? The prophet asks. 

First Answer —Ch. 1: 5-11. God replies. The 
Chaldeans are raised up and will take care of Judah. 
This is sure to come to pass, as it did. The punish¬ 
ment will be severe. 

Second Question —Ch. 1:12-17. Jeremiah, in 
his book, was satisfied with this first answer but not 
so Plabakkuk. He was not at all pleased. He does 
not consider that it goes far enough. Notice now 
that the discussion goes out of personal, social and 
national and into international and world policies. 
Habakkuk wants to know how God is going to justify 
His world policies in raising up and using a wicked 


Habakkuk 


107 

nation for punishment of others. What gain is there 
in this? He calls attention to the fact that the Chal¬ 
deans are wanton in their punishment and that they 
continually gather the nations into their net, empty 
it, gather again and worship their net. 

Habakkuk now declares that he stands upon his 
watch-tower to see how God will answer—2:1. 

Second Answer — 2 : 3-20. God, in this answer, 
enters into the principles of “ Divine Government 
and Dealing Justly and Righteously with Men and 
Nations.” The answer is given in the form of a 
vision which needs to be carefully studied. 

The time element— 2 : 3—enters into all God’s 
judgments. He cannot be hurried. Habakkuk need 
not worry for no wrong shall go unpunished. 
“ Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely 
come.” 

The underlying principles of God are that the 
righteous have the seeds of life in themselves—chap¬ 
ter 2:4—“ The just shall live by faith.” (Notice 
how this is used in the New Testament—Romans 
1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38.) The evil 
man and nation have the seeds of death, like deadly 
germ diseases, in themselves which will destroy 
them. These diseases, their cause and manifestation 
are put in the form of five “ Woes.” Because a man 
and nation trangress these diseases or “ Woes ” shall 
come upon them—2: 6, 9, 12, 15 and 19. This is a 
most illuminating explanation. We can see now 
what Habakkuk could not see. The great Chaldean 
empire had the seeds of death in it and it has utterly 
vanished from the face of the earth. 



io8 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


A prayer of Habakkuk —Ch. 3:1, 2. He bows 
his head before God’s wisdom in His world policies. 

The vision of God's glory —3:3-16—which the 
prophet describes. He sees the might and glory of 
God and that He is in full control. This is a lyric 
poem of great beauty. Just one or two extracts— 
3: 3—“ His glory covered the heavens and the earth 
was full of his praise.” Chapter 3:6,“ He stood and 
measured the earth: he beheld and drove asunder 
the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scat¬ 
tered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are ever¬ 
lasting.” 

The Conclusion of the Whole Matter —Ch. 3:17- 
19. Habakkuk is so well satisfied with the an¬ 
swers that have been given to him that he feels 
that he now can stand and face the evils of his time 
and age and not be daunted by them. It is this at¬ 
titude, after all, that counts. Human life is but a 
half-told tale. We are moved so often by outside 
forces of which we cannot even guess the origin. 
We are caught in whirlpools and eddies and cannot 
make headway. We know so little after all of life 
that we want to know just as far as we can know 
that, above all, is “ a Great, a Good and a Righteous 
God ” who is perfectly capable of taking care of 
everything and will take care of us. He will see 
that all wrongs are righted. 

The prophet is so thoroughly convinced of 
this that he concludes with these words—“ Although 
the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in 
the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the 
fields shall yield no meat; and the flock shall be cut 


Habakkuk 


109 

off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the 
God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, 
and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he 
will make me to walk upon mine high places." 

Questions.—What can be said about questioning 
God—what was the burden of Habakkuk? What was 
the problem of Habakkuk—how did it differ from 
that of Job? What can be said about the man and 
the prophet—his environment and what he was puz¬ 
zled about? What solutions were offered for the 
problem—the first question—the first answer—the 
second question—the second answer—the prayer of 
Habakkuk—the vision of God’s glory—the conclusion 
of the whole matter? 


XVI 


MATTHEW 

THE MAN WHO SAW WORLD HOPES 

REALIZED 

From Old Testament to New Testament Char¬ 
acters.—We have an entire change of scene. The 
old stage is cleared. A new one is set. The mighty 
empires which fought for the sovereignty of the 
world have disappeared or become ghosts of their 
former selves. Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Persia, 
and others, whose great armies shook the earth, when 
they marched, have gone down. Go now and read 
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the rest of the 
prophets, and note that this failure of mighty empires 
is just what they said would take place. Note also 
that they said that, after the captivity, Jerusalem 
and the temple would be rebuilt in glory and splen¬ 
dour and that Judah would be saved out of the wreck. 
When Christ saw Jerusalem all this had come true. 
He saw a city of magnificent beauty. There were 
huge walls and massive lofty towers. There were 
marble palaces. Nothing has ever equalled the splen¬ 
did temple which He saw. The streets are full of 
life and activity. The Jews enjoy the largest sort 
of freedom under the Roman Empire which now 
embraces the territory of all the mighty empires of 
the Old Testament. They come up to Jerusalem 

no 


Matthew 


1 11 

from all parts of the earth, by the scores of thou¬ 
sands at Passover Time. 

The World Saviour.-—The new stage was set 
for “ the Chosen People ” with their synagogues 
in every big and many small cities, to accept, make 
known and urge the acceptance of their own and the 
“ World Saviour in Jesus Christ.” Here was the 
largest sort of an opportunity to become the dominant 
race in the propagation of the highest principles and 
ideals of justice, truth, mercy, love and righteous¬ 
ness. How they deliberately discarded—chapters 
8:11, 12; 21:43—this opportunity is a matter of 
history. The prophets had proclaimed, all of them, 
“ the World Saviour ” coming through the Jews. 
But coming anyway even if “ the Chosen People ” 
rejected Him. This is the common teaching of the 
prophets. The Jews did reject Him and He still re¬ 
mained “ the World Saviour.” 

He fully realized His world-wide mission when 
He said, at the close of His career on earth 
(and before this)—“Go ye therefore, and teach all 
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ”—Matthew 
28:19; “ And he said unto them, Thus it is written 
and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise 
from the dead the third day: and that repentance 
and remission of sins should be preached in his name 
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”—Luke 
24:46-48; “Ye shall be my witnesses unto me both 
in Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and 
unto the uttermost part of the earth ”—Acts 1: 8. 
He was always talking, not about the kingdom of the 


112 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


Jews but about the “ Kingdom of God ” and “ the 
Kingdom of Heaven/' 

The Apostle, Matthew.—Did he realize, at the 
first, the large mission to which he was called? We 
do not know. He is not here so that we can question 
him. Who can tell how much any man hopes for 
when he enters upon a new and promising field of 
work. The important position which he occupied, on 
a main route of large travel, would make him a 
shrewd judge of men and their values. He is not 
at all the sort of man—evidently of not a little wealth 
and much good business sense—who would hastily, 
giving up all, follow Christ, when He called him. 
Such a man would not easily be swept off his feet. 
As a Jew, however, he must have been acquainted 
with the teachings of the prophets and been con¬ 
vinced, from seeing Jesus often in and about Caper¬ 
naum that He was truly “ the Promised Messiah " 
of whom they spoke. In the book, the Gospel of 
Matthew, we have, at first, constant references back 
to the prophets that this is “the Jewish Messiah," 
then the tone changes and references are evidently 
to “ the World Messiah," one and the same, but in 
the second place seen in His larger aspect. 

The First World Center, Capernaum.—This is 
the city in which Matthew lived, likewise Peter, 
James and John. It is the best of all the cities on 
Lake Galilee whose shores are thickly studded with 
well-known towns and villages, castles, hippodromes, 
synagogues, amphitheaters and Greek villas. There 
are pleasure craft, dispatch and fishing boats and 
ships of war going to and fro on the surface of the 


Matthew 


“3 

water. Capernaum, on the northeast shore, is a 
finely built city where people of all nationalities 
dwell. It is a station on the great caravan trunk 
routes, east, west, north and south. What is done 
here is quickly made known in all the large centers 
of trade. It is thought to have been chosen by Christ 
to disseminate His Gospel, as “ the First World Cen¬ 
ter ” to send out the good news from its advanta¬ 
geous broadcasting facilities. Jerusalem was not on 
the big trade routes. Beside Jesus and His claims 
soon met with hostility there from the priestly party. 
Matthew, knowing his Capernaum like a book, would 
be invaluable in the work which Christ sought to do. 

The Call of Matthew (Ch. 9: 9) came to him 
while he was attending to his business as customs 
officer at the “ Receipt of Custom ” at Capernaum 
on “ the Great West Trunk Road from Damascus 
and the Far East to the Mediterranean Sea.” Here 
he would get all the news that was going. 

Circumstances. Jesus had just healed a man 
sick of the palsy in the city. Crowds followed Him 
as He went on His way. Seeing Matthew, at his 
place of business, He called him—“ Follow me.” 
As quickly as He called Matthew arose and fol¬ 
lowed Him. The suddenness may appear more on 
the surface than in reality. Doubtless Jesus had had 
Matthew under observation for some time and 
Matthew had been seeing the many wonderful things 
which Jesus did. 

Qualifications. To all outward appearances 
Matthew was not a good choice for he was a hated 
publican—despised by all so-called “ Good Jews.” 


114 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

As one hated and despised he would be a hindrance 
rather than a help but Jesus looked upon the splendid 
qualities of Matthew and upon his heart and knew 
that He had, in this tax-gatherer, a rare man for His 
purpose. 

The Great Feast Given by Matthew (Ch. 9:10; 
Cuke 5:29).—He was not only quick to respond 
to the invitation of Jesus to follow Him but he 
wanted every one to know what a signal honour had 
been bestowed. It was not a feast for a select few 
and choice friends but “ There was a great company 
of publicans and others who sat down with them.” 
Some men are warped and twisted by their business. 
Their worst side comes out in their dealings with 
men. Take Matthew and this feast and see how 
everything shows him as he is and that being “ a 
Despised Publican ” in business had not touched the 
nobleness of his soul. Suppose that every one whom 
Jesus calls, and who accepts this call into His fel¬ 
lowship and Church, should respond as Matthew did 
in celebrating the occasion in a way that would make 
his rejoicing known to all his friends? What 
splendid progress would be made. What is needed 
to-day is Christians with the enthusiasm of Mat¬ 
thew. 

Discordant voices. Then as now when a man 
really gets enthusiastic in a good cause there are 
those who find fault. The Pharisees and Scribes, 
looking only on outward things, murmured against 
this feast, given by Matthew, that Christ and His 
disciples should attend and eat with publicans and 
sinners. It is the same old world. There are those 


Matthew 


"5 

jwho do nothing to help on a good cause and find 
fault with those who do. 

Matthew in the Training School.—From the time 
of his call until Jesus ascended—Acts 1:1-8— 
Matthew was constantly with Jesus. 

He learned the principles of the kingdom from 
“ the Sermon on the Mount ”—chapters 5-7. 1—■ 

chapter 5 : 2-12, The righteousness of “ the Kingdom 
of Heaven ” described; its rewards announced. 2— 
chapter 5:13-16, The righteousness as exhibited in 
life. 3—chapters 5:17-6 :18, Relation of this new 
righteousness to that of the Old Testament. 4— 
chapter 6:19-34, Relation of this new righteousness 
to secular life. 5—chapter 7:1-23, Teaching of the 
new righteousness; precepts and warnings to disci¬ 
ples. 6—chapter 7: 24-27, Consequences of the ac¬ 
ceptance or rejection of the precepts of the new 
righteousness. 

He was sent out to work out that which he had 
been taught by Jesus—chapters 10:1-11:1. 
Matthew was one of “ the Twelve ” sent out to pro¬ 
claim “ the Good News of the Coming Kingdom.” 
They were to do as they had seen Christ do. 

Nothing was left to chance. The apostles were 
men under the tutelage of the Master to carry on 
His work after He had left the earth. 

Matthew Saw World Hopes Realized in Jesus 
Christ; that is, he began to see them realized. 
They are not yet fully realized. The movement is 
so large that it will take the ages for their com¬ 
plete fulfillment. 

Take “ the Gospel of Matthew ” (under the most 



Il6 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


drastic criticism the bulk of its material is still con¬ 
ceded to Matthew, the apostle). It may be divided 
into three parts: 1—chapters 1:1-4:16, Early Days 
of the Messiah. 2—chapters 4:17-16:20, Signs 
and Works of the Messiah. 3—chapters 16:21- 
28:20, Passion of the Messiah. 

We see here the flowering of the Old Testament 
History. All that the prophets had said of Jesus 
Christ comes true in Him. Passage after passage is 
quoted in Matthew of the Old Testament prophecy to 
prove that in Jesus Christ we have the Promised Mes¬ 
siah. A Messiah who was to bless the whole world 
through “ the Chosen People.” But as time goes on 
and Jesus Christ develops His principles and ideals the 
nation to which He has come is seen to draw back 
from Him and finally to reject Him. The Christ 
that was to make this nation the leading nation of 
the world is rejected by it, and with this rejection 
forfeits its great mission—chapter 8:11, 12. 

The mission of Jesus Christ as “ The World 
Saviour” is not thereby thwarted but becomes more 
emphatically a world affair. 

The religion of Jesus is not merely the Juda¬ 
ism of the temple plus a belief in Jesus as “ the 
Messiah” but a world religion, freed from all bounds 
and restrictions, local and national. The book of 
Matthew carries the doctrine of the apostle Paul to 
the conclusion which he saw in it but to which he was 
not wont himself to press it. Again before this 
time each nation had its own gods to whom it looked 
for succour and help. The conception of a World 
Religion was not thought of. When the nation died 


Matthew 


117 

its gods died as they did in Babylonia and Assyria, 
But here was a World Messiah who survived the 
nation to which He was accredited, and appealed to 
all nations and made good in His appeal. 

The World Messiah in Our Own Age.—The 
message of Matthew comes to us with the same 
pertinency that it came to men of old. So it will 
come in the future. Jesus Christ is the Saviour of 
all mankind—to all who trust in Him. All else may 
fail but He will not fail. He will not be judged by 
any age or civilization but will judge every age and 
every civilization. His last command is still sound¬ 
ing forth—“ Go ye therefore and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I 
am with you alway, even unto the end of the world ” 
(Matthew 28:18-20). 

Questions. —What can be said for the change 
from Old to New Testament characters? What can 
be said of the world Saviour? What of the world 
apostle, Matthew? What of the first world center, 
Capernaum? What can be said of the call of Mat¬ 
thew—circumstances and qualifications? What of 
the great feast, given by Matthew? What of Mat¬ 
thew in the training school? How did Matthew see 
world hopes realized in Jesus Christ? What can be 
said of the world Messiah in our own age ? 


XVII 


MARK 

THE MAN WHO WROTE OF CHRIST’S POWER 

A New Way of Looking at Christ. —Mark pre¬ 
sents a different aspect of Christ from that of Mat¬ 
thew, Luke, John or Paul. The emphasis is placed 
upon what He is, in Himself, and upon His authority. 
The genealogy is omitted. Little is said about the 
fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. After the 
announcement—“ The beginning of the Gospel of 
Jesus Christ, the Son of God ” (ch. 1:1), and a few 
verses about the work of John Baptist, we read of 
the exercised power of the Christ: “And they were 
astonished at his doctrine for he taught them as one 
that had authority and not as the scribes ” (ch. 1: 
22). “And they were all amazed, insomuch that they 
questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is 
this? For with authority commandeth he the un¬ 
clean spirits and they do obey him ,, (ch. 1:27). 
This has been called “ The Gospel to the Romans ” 
because Jesus Christ was presented in this way. The 
Romans never asked about the ancestry of a man; 
they wanted to know what he was in himself and 
what he could do. This is the modern way of look¬ 
ing at a man. 

The Writer, Mark.—He is not an apostle. He 
holds no official position. The Gospel, however, has 

ii8 


Mark 


119 

been ascribed to him from the earliest times. He 
had ample opportunity to know the truth of the 
things about which he wrote. He lived in Jeru¬ 
salem. His mother had a house there. She was a 
woman of considerable wealth. Her home was the 
rallying place of the early leaders of the Church. 
Here Mark met them and heard everything talked 
over. A large prayer-meeting was in progress there, 
one night, when Peter, having been released from 
prison by an angel, came knocking at the door of 
the gate. Mark could never forget that experience 
and the rejoicing over Peteris release. The narrative 
does not say but Mark may have often seen Jesus and 
heard His words. His cousin, Barnabas, who went 
on the first missionary journey with Paul was a 
wealthy Levite from the island of Cyprus (Acts 12: 
1-17; 4: 36, 37; 13 :1-5). Who could know better 
than Mark of all the things which were making such 
a wonderful stir in Jerusalem? These things were 
not done in a corner. 

The Traveler. —He was in many parts of the 
Roman Empire. We read of him in Jerusalem, in An¬ 
tioch, in Ephesus, in Rome and in other places. He 
had a wide experience with men in all classes of life. 
In his home city, Jerusalem, he had his eyes opened 
to the wonderful power in Christ. In Antioch he 
saw how that power could take hold upon men and 
women who were not of the household of Judsea and 
had not been trained in its traditions (Acts 11: 20- 
26; 13:1-5). We find Mark with Paul in Rome 
(Col. 4:10; Phil. 24) and later on with Timothy in 
Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:11). He is also recorded by 


120 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


Peter as being with him in Babylon (Rome) (1 Peter 
d:13). 

The Close Companion of Peter for ten or twelve 
years. This is the time that elapsed between the 
last mention of Mark in the Acts and Paul’s refer¬ 
ence to his cooperation in Rome. In out-of-the-way 
places in the country, in villages, and in big cities 
Mark had noticed, could not help but notice, how the 
marvelous power of Jesus Christ gripped the hearts 
and consciences of the people to whom He was pre¬ 
sented. They accepted Him for what He was in 
Himself. They did not have to go back and get 
Him through Judaism. The modern disciple of 
Christ makes this direct appeal to-day. 

The Ministry of Mark in Service.—We do not 
read anywhere of Mark speaking or taking the lead¬ 
ership, as Barnabas or Paul or Peter, or Timothy 
did. He is never at the forefront. His is the min¬ 
istry of service, the observer of what others are do¬ 
ing, and making things comfortable for them that 
they may do their more conspicuous work well. He 
doubtless arranged the travel routes and looked after 
the details of getting lodgings and places and oppor¬ 
tunities to deliver the message. The tradition tells 
us that even the message which he has given us, in 
what is called his Gospel, is what Peter preached in 
his ten or twelve years of association with him. 

And yet how marvelously the light of his life 
shines forth! The man who was willing to serve 
those who did the more conspicuous things now takes 
rank alongside them and not one whit behind them. 
This Gospel of Mark may be what Peter preached, 


Mark 


121 


it doubtless is, but it is put in shape by a master 
hand. In its present shape it is declared to be the 
first of the Gospels. Could any man—just striving 
to serve as his Master did—have greater honour? 

The Book of Mark is put together with great 
skill. The story moves with rapidity. It is pic¬ 
turesque. It is condensed. It is abrupt. After the 
introduction 1:1-13 it has three natural divisions; 
1—The ministry in Galilee, 1:14-9: 50. 2—The 

ministry in Judaea, 10:1-52. 3—The ministry in 

Jerusalem, 11: 1-16: 20. This is the shortest Gospel 
—sixteen chapters. Matthew has twenty-eight. Luke 
twenty-four. John twenty-one. The narrative is 
confined to the most active period of Jesus’ life, 
chiefly to the busy Galilean ministry and the still more 
crowded Passion Week. 

Characteristics.—1—Vividness. There is a suc¬ 
cession of pictures of what Christ did which have 
peculiar lifelike and graphic qualities. We are made 
to see things, by Mark, as if they were directly under 
our own eyes. 2—Compactness. Every sentence is 
fraught with meaning. 3—Directness. There is no 
attempt at elaboration. It is a businesslike narra¬ 
tive of things as Mark saw them or heard of them 
from Peter and others. Christ teaches and heals and 
immediately His fame spreads through all Galilee 
(Ch. 1:28). In the first chapter, typical of all the 
rest, we find condensed the stories of the opening of 
the ministry of Christ, the coming of John Baptist, 
the temptation of Christ and the beginning of Christ’s 
ministry in Galilee. 4—Celerity. Here is move¬ 
ment; action; life. Christ speaks and there is instant 



122 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


obedience. The words—“ Straightway ” and “ Im¬ 
mediately ” are used over forty times to show how 
quickly the results, which are desired, are accom¬ 
plished. 5—Circumstantiality. Mark tells “ How 
the multitude who were to be fed sat down in groups 
like flower beds * upon the green grass ’; how our 
Lord amid the tempest was sleeping ‘ on the cushion ’ 
in the stern of the boat; how when they brought unto 
Him ‘ little children/ He took them up in His arms 
and blessed them. Only in Mark are we told that 
Jesus was a carpenter and that, during His tempta¬ 
tion, He was with the wild beasts.” The instances 
of such touches are legion. 

The Message of Mark is the Working of the 
Power of Christ for helping men to find themselves 
and God. That they may be freed from the evils 
which take them by the throat and choke out their 
moral and spiritual lives. It is a ministry of redeem¬ 
ing love and saving grace. It is authority, coupled 
with unlimited power, used not in selfishness and the 
upbuilding of the one who has it but for the largest 
and noblest ends. The trouble, in this world, is that 
men who get just a little authority too often use it to 
oppress and crush their fellow men. “ We are re¬ 
minded of the words of Peter relative to * The Mas¬ 
ter ’—God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and 
with power: who went about doing good and healing 
all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was 
with Him.” 

Instances of the Manifestation of Christ’s Power 
are given by Mark. 

The manifestation is in two parts. We have 


Mark 


123 

to consider both—Divine Power and Human 
Power. 

The Human Power . He had the human side 
and manifested it in a remarkable way. He was 
hungry. He was tired. He slept. He ate. He 
loved the companionship of His fellow men. He had 
compassion. He sympathized with the woes of the 
people. 

The Divine Power was equally manifest and 
used to help. In the short space of sixteen chapters 
there are nineteen miracles recorded; a number of 
them with great circumstantiality. Mark expresses 
no doubt in regard to them. Here are some of the 
instances which Mark tells us about, in his book—1— 
“ Jesus taught as one that had authority and not as 
the scribes” (1:22). He ordained others to teach 
and to heal (3:13-15). 2—The unclean spirits 

acknowledged His power (1:27). The great trou¬ 
ble in society, family and state is that of unclean 
men and women. They refuse to obey and foul the 
water of the springs of life. 3—Power to heal the 
sick (1:30, 31, 34). There is moral and mental 
sickness as well as physical sickness. Heal the first 
two and the other would largely disappear. Christ 
did cure all three. 4—Power to forgive sins. Christ 
did not leave this in doubt (2:5-10). 5—Power 

over nature (4:36-40). Many instances are given. 
He stilled the storm on Galilee. He multiplied the 
loaves and fishes. Why should these stand as such 
impossibilities to some people? What were once 
miracles—“ The Wireless,” the “ Heavier than Air 
Flying Machine,” etc., etc., are now commonplaces. 



124 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

A miracle may not be contrary to nature while it 
may be contrary to what we know about nature. We 
know really so little about the order of nature, even 
the wisest—Why stumble at the miracles of Christ? 
Herbert Spencer once said to a friend: “ You cannot 
take up any problem in physics without being quickly 
led to some metaphysical problem that you can neither 
solve nor evade.” Mark verily believed and taught 
that “ The Lord of Glory ” had come to earth and 
that nothing was impossible to Him. But here is the 
astonishing thing that this Lord of Glory laid aside 
His glory and used His power to help men to better 
lives. 6—Power to raise the dead (5 : 22-24, 35-42), 
and power to raise Himself from the dead in His 
resurrection. This was what Mark taught from 
hearing it preached and seeing the Gospel in its 
earliest manifestations. 

The Hunt for Power is on.—Man is searching 
everywhere for it. Coal, oil, gas, water, iron ore, 
land and sea interest him only as he can wring from 
them their secrets of power. He will spend time, un¬ 
limited money, and energy if he can see the slightest 
prospect of making use of any of these agencies for 
more power. He searches everywhere for this 
treasure or storehouse of power. He wants to con¬ 
nect up. But here in Jesus Christ is a storehouse of 
power that wants to be connected up with man and 
help him to find himself first in the Kingdom of God 
and then the rest will be easy. This also is the teach¬ 
ing of Mark and is one reason why he is so tremen¬ 
dously in earnest about his message. 

Questions.—What is the new way of looking at 


| Mark 125 

Christ? What can be said of the writer, Mark? 
Mark, the traveler? Mark, the close companion of 
Peter? What can be said of the ministry of Mark 
in service? The book of Mark? Characteristics of 
the book? What is the message of Mark? Give 
instances of the manifestation of Christ’s power. 
What can be said for the hunt for power ? 


XVIII 


LUKE 

THE MAN WHO BROADCASTED THE GOSPEE 

GOOD NEWS 

“ Luke, the Beloved Physician,” is what Paul 
calls him when he was in prison in Rome and wrote 
the letter to the Church in the city of Colosse. This 
shows how dear Luke was to Paul. It is a human 
touch and shows how strong one man’s affection may 
be for another (Col. 4:14). 

The author of the messages, in the Gospel of Luke 
and the Acts of the Apostles, broadcasted over the 
ancient and modern worlds, as no other messages 
have been, was a careful, conscientious doctor. He 
was not only large of heart and of great spiritual 
vision but he had a literary ability of a high order. 

He was a Gentile; a Greek by birth. He was a 
man of some wealth or else he would not have been 
able to attend upon Paul and go with him as he did 
from place to place. He probably bore not only his 
own expenses but helped to bear those cf Paul. He 
is an example of how the preaching of Jesus Christ 
affected all classes, high and low, in those times. 

He zms an accurate and painstaking observer, 
trying always to make sure of his facts before setting 
them down. This he declares in the preface to his 
Gospel—Luke 1:1-4. He is after “ The Certainties.” 

126 


Luke 


✓ 


127 


In the Acts of the Apostles he is careful to use 
“ We ” when he is with Paul and “ They ” when he 
it not. 

In regard to his standing as a physician Dr. Ho¬ 
bart has written a book on “ The Medical Language 
of St. Luke ” in which he gives testimony to Dr. 
Luke’s accuracy in the use of medical terms as com¬ 
pared with those used by Galen, Llippocrates and 
other ancient medical writers of note. 

The esteem in which he is held to-day is not only 
shown in the multitude of “ St. Luke Churches ” but 
also in the multitude of “ St. Luke Hospitals ” of 
which one is in almost every city in the United 
States and they are scattered over the world. 

Antioch, the City of Luke, where tradition has it 
that he exercised his profession, was the third city 
in point of population (500,000) and importance in 
the Roman Empire. It was the second great center 
of Christianity. It was from here that Christian 
influences were broadcasted that have influenced 
the world for all time. It is this broadcasting in¬ 
fluence of which Luke tells us in the Acts of the 
Apostles. 

The title by which Antioch was known, in those 
times, was “ The Gay City.” A strange place in 
which to start a great Christian campaign for the 
conversion of the world. It was about three hun¬ 
dred miles north of Jerusalem and sixteen miles from 
the Mediterranean Sea on the Orontes River. It 
traded with all parts of the world by ships and 
caravans. There were many fine public buildings. 
There was great wealth. Art and literature were 


128 Studies of Great Bible Characters 


cultivated. But everything was made to promote 
and foster “ Gilded Vice/’ About four miles away 
was “ The Grove of Daphne ” known throughout the 
world as the place where all that was most beautiful 
in art and nature had created the magnificent gardens 
where there was held a continual festival of vice. 
Juvenal, a great Roman writer, complains that the 
iniquities and dissipations of Antioch were corrupt¬ 
ing Rome. 

Yet Luke tells us how into this “ Gay City ” (Acts 
11:19-29) the Christian missionaries came with their 
message and “A great number believed and turned to 
the Lord.” So many came in that outside help was 
sent for and Paul came. It shows that the Gospel 
can work under the most unfavourable conditions 
and where there is seemingly nothing to work upon. 
Christianity in those days did not hesitate to go into 
the worst places in the most corrupt cities. It has 
the same power to-day if we will use it. 

Luke's Preparation for Work.—He was many 
years in getting ready to do what he did. His was 
no hasty task easily accomplished. 

He was a traveling companion of Paul who had 
come, on his second missionary journey, as far as 
Troas, in Mysia in Asia Minor. Here Paul saw the 
vision which called him to undertake a new work 
(leaving Asia) on the continent of Europe. It was a 
bold venture into the region of the highest culture of 
Greek civilization. If beauty, if art of the highest 
type, if philosophy could have saved men they would 
not have needed the Gospel. But with all this culti¬ 
vation there was the utmost corruption of morals. 


Luke 


129 

The social evil was made a part of worship in the 
temples. 

Luke met. Paul in Troas —note the change from 
“ They ” in chapter 16: 6-9 to “ We ” in chapter 
16: lOff. We can always tell when Luke is of the 
party by his use of the “ We.” Luke went to Philippi 
with Paul where the first church in Europe was or¬ 
ganized (Ch. 16: 12-40). Luke was left in Philippi. 
Notice the seventeenth chapter begins the “ They ” 
again. Luke remained at Philippi for a number of 
years, or until Paul returned to this city (Ch. 20:6) 
and “ We ” sailed away from Philippi. 

From this second meeting, until the death of Paul, 
Luke seems to have been with him. He was with 
him when Paul went up to Jerusalem for the last 
time. He was with him when he sailed away from 
Caesarea after Paul had been imprisoned for two 
years in that city. Luke was with Paul on his 
journey to Rome, and in Rome. He was with him in 
his first imprisonment (Col. 4:14 and Phil. 24). 
He was with him in his last imprisonment, when it 
was dangerous (2 Tim. 4:11). 

Luke, certainly, had abundant opportunities to see 
and know how Christianity worked in big and little 
places and amongst all classes and conditions of 
people. 

The Doctor’s Pastorate at Philippi for seven 
years. It is not an easy thing to step out of one’s 
chosen profession and into another and make a 
success. But Luke through his love for Christ did 
this. The city of Philippi was an important one on 
the Great Egnatian Road and travelers and traders 


130 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

passed over it eastward and westward from all parts 
of the Roman Empire. It was a center of a large 
life and activity. One secret of Luke’s influence to- 
day is due to the fact that he not only knew the 
theory of Christianity but also had applied it and 
seen it applied under the most difficult and adverse 
circumstances and it had worked in every case. 

The Messages which Luke had to give to the 
world are found in two books which it is supposed 
were begun to be put into shape at the time he was in 
attendance upon Paul in his two years’ imprisonment 
in Caesarea. He would have ample time to look up 
scenes and incidents of Christ’s life in places where 
they occurred and consult those still living who had 
seen and heard Christ. He could also go over with 
Paul the accounts of his joumeyings when he was 
not with him. 

The Gospel of Luke. There is a logical order of 
events. After the introduction (Ch. 1:1—4) there 
are six natural divisions. 1—1:5-2:52—Narrative 
of the birth, childhood and youth of John Baptist 
and Jesus. 2—3:1-4:13—Preparation for Christ’s 
public work. 3—4:14-9 : 50—Christ’s Galilean Min¬ 
istry. 4—9:51-19:27—Christ’s Journey to Jeru¬ 
salem. 5—19:28-23:56—Passion Week. 6—24: 

1— 53—Resurrection and ascension of Christ. 

The Acts of the Apostles. This book may be 
divided into three parts taking for its text chapter 
1:8. 1—The work in Jerusalem (Ch. 1:1-7:60). 

2— The work in Judaea and Samaria (8:1-12:25). 

3— The work in the world at large—The Three Mis¬ 
sionary Journeys of Paul (13:1-28: 31). 




Luke 


1 3 l 

The Appeal is to the Certainties. —Luke does not 
plead. He does not argue. He wants us to con¬ 
sider the facts (Luke 1:1-4). The certainty of the 
reality of Christ; here is no dim and indistinct figure 
but one standing forth as real; His is the strong per¬ 
sonality about which events and persons group them¬ 
selves. The Certainty of Christ’s mission (Luke 4: 
16-21). He declares that He, Christ, is “The 
Anointed One.” The certainty of Christ’s power. 

Characteristics. A world-wide ministry. Christ 
opened His Gospel with this declaration (4:16-21). 
He closed it by saying that His name should be 
proclaimed “Amongst all nations ” (24: 47,48). Glad 
tidings for all men. The opening chapters of Luke 
record “ how Christ came into the world heralded by 
songs of rejoicing; “ The Ave Maria,” “ The Magnif¬ 
icat,” “ The Benedictus,” “ The Gloria in Excelsis ” 
and “ The Nunc Dimittis.” Again Luke tells us that 
Christ departed lifting up His hands in blessing 
(Luke 28:50). Sympathy with the poor and out¬ 
cast and suffering.—Note the parables of the “ Lost 
Sheep,” the “ Lost Coin,” the “ Lost Boy,” the “ Good 
Samaritan,” etc. Good will and tolerance. Praise 
and thanksgiving. Prayer. Womanhood, etc. 

What Luke Stood for in Himself.—Thorough¬ 
ness in what he undertook. He was very careful to 
try in every way to keep his writings from error. 
Cheerfulness; there are able, good, righteous men 
and women who are conscientious in what they do 
but they are not pleasant of disposition or counte¬ 
nance but Luke called—■“ The Beloved Physician ” by 
one who knew him best has a sunny way with him. 


132 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

He believed the Gospel was given—“ To make us of 
good cheer/’ Helpfulness where help was needed 
most; he was an educated physician yet he saw that 
he could help the world the most by preaching Christ 
and working for Him. Courage; notice how Paul 
wrote to Timothy in his last imprisonment—and not 
so long before his death—“ Only Luke is with me; ” 
Luke was not afraid to stand by Paul when he en¬ 
dangered his own life by doing so. Faith, strong, 
reliable and unwavering. 

Questions.—What can be said of Luke—what 
does Paul call him—of what books is he the author— 
what does Dr. Hobart say of his medical knowledge ? 
Describe the city of Antioch—what had it to do with 
early Christianity? What can be said of Luke’s 
preparation for his work? How long was Dr. Luke 
pastor of the church at Philippi? What can be said 
of the messages of Luke? Into how many parts may 
Luke’s Gospel be divided? How many parts the 
Acts? To what does Luke appeal? What certain¬ 
ties ? What are the characteristics ? What did Luke 
stand for in himself? 


j 


XIX 


JOHN 

THE MAN WHO LISTENED-IN ACROSS 

THE VOID 

Getting into Touch with the Infinite. —Man lives 
in a world of mystery. It is permeated with strange 
forces which he is trying to understand and with 
which he is trying to connect. Sometimes he is 
successful and sometimes he is not. When he suc¬ 
ceeds he seems but to open a door to still more 
mysterious forces. 

Take an instance of these strange things. A man 
sits in a quiet room. It is remote from the street. 
All unknown to him that room is vibrating with 
sounds. A great orator is making a speech five 
hundred miles away and every word is repeated in 
this room. A thousand miles away a concert, of the 
best musical talent, is being given and it is being 
reproduced here. The air is crowded with voices. 
Yet the man sitting, in this room, professes that he 
hears nothing. It is to him as if these sounds did 
not exist. Now let him take a certain apparatus, 
made in a certain way, to interpret these sounds and, 
strange to say, the room leaps into life. He is in 
tune with the great orator and hears every word. 
He shuts off the oratory and now he “ Listens-in ” 
at the concert, hearing all. What the “ Radio-Man ” 
has done for the man in the quiet room John pro- 

1 33 


134 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

posed, long before this new thing had come to life, 
to do for the material man who did not realize the 
spiritual things about him. 

John was a pioneer worker. For many men he is 
still a pioneer. Men do not use “ The Spiritual 
Radio ” even when its use is explained but to those 
who do there is a new and wonderful world opened. 

John carries over “The revelation of Christ from 
the world of outward fact to that of inward religious 
experience ” He gives this out as his definite pur¬ 
pose. He is not writing at random, just to make a 
history of what he saw, but “ These are written that 
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
God; and that believing ye might have life through 
his name ” (John 20:31). The great work of 
Christ is to impart life. Man in the silent room of a 
material world, through Christ, has that room leap 
into life with voices which put him into tune with 
“ The Infinite.” 

Preparation of John in Contact With John Bap¬ 
tist.—In order to do any work which is worth 
while, and lasting, a man must have a certain ade¬ 
quate preparation. Nothing worth while can be done 
offhand. He must know all angles of that which 
he wishes to do if he is to be highly effective. 

John began the preparation for his ministry, for all 
ages and all nations, as a disciple of John Baptist. 
How long he was with him we do not know. We do 
know that in John Baptist he came in contact with a 
wonderful personality who had " Listened-in ” to a 
message that was given to him from “ On High ” 
and who was giving this message to the people of 


John 


*35 

Palestine. So effective was he in doing this that 
multitudes of people came to hear him in a desolate 
place by the river Jordan. Still more wonderful they 
did that which it is not easy to get men to do— 
“ They came confessing their sins.” John Baptist 
was counted “A Prophet.” He had gotten into tune 
with “ The Infinite One.” All this John, who was 
to become an apostle of Christ, saw and heard. 

Jesus Invites John to Find the Way.—The 
second stage in the preparation of John was when he 
came in contact with Jesus Christ for the first time. 
When all Palestine was flaming into praise with the 
name and exploits of John Baptist. It was bruited 
abroad that he was the long expected Messiah. What 
was John’s astonishment to see him bow his head 
before Jesus of Nazareth (Ch. 1:28-36). He 
doubtless was very much puzzled to hear John Bap¬ 
tist say (Ch. 1:29): “Behold the Lamb of God, 
which taketh away the sin of the World ” and just 
before this (Ch. 1:27): “ He it is who coming after 
me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I 
am not worthy to unloose.” It was as if he had 
said: “The Master to whose voice I have been 
listening has come.” 

Two disciples, one of whom was John, just won¬ 
dered, wondered, what it could mean! What more 
natural than that they should follow Jesus to find out 
(Ch. 1:37, 38). 

Jesus* invitation to “ Come and see ** resulted in 
their “ Listening-in ” to “ The Voice ” which led John 
to do his great work for all people. Such was the 
impression made by this first interview that the exact 


136 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

hour of the day is put down—“ The Tenth ”—which 
is four o’clock. 

The School of Discipleship or “ the Try Out.’'-— 

Note how gradually things proceed. Every event 
comes in order. There is no hurry. Jesus had quite 
a following of disciples before He chose — “ the 
Twelve Apostles” (Luke 6:13-16). He seems to 
have been trying out the disciples, of whom John 
was one, to finally select those whom He could trust 
with “ The Great Mission.” This crowd of disciples 
went with Him and saw the mighty works which He 
did. It was “The Try Out” the same as men are 
under observation and trial for important places to¬ 
day. 

The Home Life of John was a happy one. He 
came from a “ Well-to-Do ” family. They had boats 
and hired servants. The occupation of fishing was 
lucrative (Mark 1:19, 20). Zebedee, the father, 
made not the slightest objection to his sons, James 
and John, going with Jesus. The mother, Salome, 
was a follower of Jesus, going even to the cross 
(Matt. 27:56; Mark 15: 40, 41). It is a great thing 
when home influences are in favour of spiritual think¬ 
ing and living. 

Called to Be an Apostle. —John was one of 

twelve whom Jesus chose to be with Him and to be 
trained for “A World-Wide Campaign for the Con¬ 
version of the World.” The two sons of Zebedee 
and Salome were named second and third in the list 
of the chosen ones. How important this choice was 
we are just beginning to see. These are the names 
which the world cherishes and perpetuates above 


John 


l 37 

those of great rulers, generals, poets, artists, mer¬ 
chant princes and the so-called “ Mighty Ones ” of 
this earth. It is not to be supposed that “ The 
Twelve ” realized to what an undying fame they were 
called. 

We have to remember that these men had been 
with Jesus, as disciples, and had listened to His teach¬ 
ing and seen the miracles which He did (Mark 3 :13- 
19; Luke 6:13-16). Matthew tells us in the tenth 
chapter that as soon as “ The Twelve ” were chosen 
they were sent out, “ Having been given power 
against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal 
all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” 

John was very close to his <{ Master.” He was 
present at “ the Transfiguration.” He, with Peter, 
was sent to make ready for “ the Lord’s Supper.” 
He was in the “ Garden of Gethsemane ” with Christ. 
John was the first to recover himself after the arrest 
of Christ. He was present at His trial. He was the 
only apostle who dared follow Christ to the cross. 
He received the charge of Christ to care for His 
mother. 

After the resurrection he saw and talked with 
Christ and knew Him without doubt. He, with 
Peter, went boldly into the temple and proclaimed 
the Christ—Acts, chapter 3. Peter and John were 
sent for to go into Samaria to help in the great work 
there—Acts 8:14. When Paul went to Jerusalem 
about 50 A. D. John was there and met him—Gala¬ 
tians 2: 1-9. 

Pastor of the Church in Ephesus. —John, the 
apostle, settled in Ephesus late in the sixties accord- 


138 Studies of Great Bible" Characters 

ing to the testimony of such well-known men in the 
Church as Irenaeus, Papias, Poly crates of Ephesus 
and Clement of Alexandria. Here also Andrew and 
Philip are said to have lived in their later years. 
This church was founded by Paul—Acts 19. Here, 
in all probability, John wrote his Gospel. 

This city was the third great center of Chris¬ 
tianity. Here was held a “ Perpetual Vanity Fair. ,, 
Its theater, seating 50,000 spectators, was a wonder. 
Its stadium was dedicated to “ Reality ”; men fought 
with wild beasts to the death; men fought with men 
to the death; all scenes were acted out in reality. Its 
temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the world 
(324 feet long and 164 feet wide), was filled with the 
most exquisite works of art, yet its worship was of 
a shapeless image and grossly immoral. A queer 
place in which to preach the Gospel of Christ, yet 
Paul won many people here and from this city the 
influence of the Gospel which John preached has 
been world wide. 

The Book Message of John. —We take here only 
the Gospel. We have seen what a splendid prepa¬ 
ration John had for the message he finally gave to 
the world. Without this ample preparation he could 
not have given it. The great questions which John 
considered were hotly debated in his day: they have 
lost none of their heat after the many centuries that 
have elapsed since he was on earth. They are the 
burning issues of to-day. This Gospel would not 
stand as it does unless John had brought up these 
questions. Every possible means has been employed 
to bring it into discredit but the great thing at issue 


John 


*39 

is not the box or the “ Radio Apparatus ” in any of 
its parts but does it connect up with that which with¬ 
out it would be unheard? That John’s Gospel does 
connect up and bring us into tune with “ the Infinite 
One ” has been shown over and over again. It works 
for those who will let it work. 

Great Questions Asked and Answered. —These 
are timeless and ageless. These questions are the 
vital ones of the Christian faith. The answers are 
equally vital. Over fifty years had passed since 
Christ had left the earth in bodily form when John’s 
Gospel was issued. Questions of His relations to the 
Jewish World had ceased to be of interest. 

Christianity was claiming to be “ the Universal Re¬ 
ligion.” Where Matthew and Luke left off and 
Mark began—there John began. “ In the beginning 
was the Word, and the Word was with God and the 
Word was God.” Here is what Christianity has to 
say in regard to God, life and destiny. 

First —Who is Jesus Christ? How is He related 
to God ? In the first eighteen verses of the first chap¬ 
ter we have the clear-cut answer—see the first verse 
quoted above—“ In him was life and the life was 
the light of men ”—John 1:1-18; see 1: 4. 

Second —How can man know God? See the third 
chapter—Christ’s talk with Nicodemus. Religion is 
not merely a matter of form and ceremony; it is a 
thing of a new heart and a new life—“ Listening- 
in ” to get into tune with “ the Infinite.” 

Third —Who is God ? Can anything be more plain 
than Christ’s answer—■“ God is a spirit and they that 
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."' 


140 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

Are you “ Listening-in ” to hear “ the Spirit of 
God ” ? 

Fourth —Where and how worship God?—chapter 
4:19-26. Everywhere and always there is free ac¬ 
cess to God. 

Fifth —Does God really care for man? Chapter 
3:16—“ For God so loved the world that he gave 
his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 
See also “ the Good Shepherd parable ”—chapter 
10:1-18. 

Sixth —Is man personally immortal? The 
eleventh chapter is taken to help answer this question 
—“ I am the resurrection and the life ”—chapter 
11: 25. See also fourteen—one where Christ de¬ 
clares “ In my Father’s house are ipany mansions. 
. . . I go to prepare a place for you.” See also 

Christ’s resurrection. “ Listen-in ” for yourself. 

Characteristics. Ruggedness—he was called a 
“ Son of Thunder.” Lovableness—he leaned on 
Jesus’ breast at the supper table. He is the loved 
disciple. His courage—he was the only apostle that 
dared to go to the cross with his Master. His spir¬ 
itual insight; that was marvelous. 

Questions.—What can be said of getting into 
touch with “ the Infinite ” ? What of the prepara¬ 
tion of John with John Baptist? How did Jesus in¬ 
vite John to find the way? Give an account of the 
school of discipleship—Home life of John— How 
John was called to be an apostle. Of what church 
was John the pastor? What about the book mes¬ 
sage of John? What are some of the great questions 
and answers in the book? Characteristics of John? 


XX 


PETER 

THE ASCENDING MAN 

The Way of a Man— Up or Dovm? —When a 
man is being considered for any position the ques¬ 
tion is always asked—Which way is he going—up 
or down? It is not so much where he is now as 
where he is headed for. There is no standing still 
in life. Hence the search, when any place worth 
while is open, for a man, to fill it, who has not 
reached the limit of his power and capability and 
who has ambition to walk in the upward way. This 
ascending ambition is not considered solely in regard 
to its intellectual, commercial, political or other as¬ 
pects, but other things are looked at which pertain 
to the heart purposes and the moral and spiritual 
outlook. A man may go up in things that have to do 
only with material prosperity and meet his own soul 
coming down—which he soon must follow. 

It is evident, in Peter, that Jesus saw, what others 
might not have seen, a man of large ascending am¬ 
bition with a moral and spiritual outlook, which 
if given proper objectives would carry him far. He 
did not look upon what Peter was or his occupation 
but what Peter, under proper influences and train¬ 
ing, might become. That Jesus was justified in His 
estimate of Peter as “ the Ascending Man ” is evi- 

141 


142 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

dent from the story of Peter which we find in the 
New Testament. He had his excellencies which were 
diligently cultivated to make them stepping-stones 
to things higher up. He had his faults, he was in¬ 
tensely human, in which he did not continue but 
bitterly repented as he went on up. 

It is not what a man is, the circumstances under 
which he is born, his occupation or the place where 
he lives that count so much as what he desires to 
become and his determination to walk in the way 
of the man going up in spite of all the difficulties 
jvhich he may encounter. 

From all points of view the story of Peter is well 
>vorth careful study for our encouragement to keep 
on the upward way. 

Peter—the Fisherman.—If you had been a visi¬ 
tor in Capernaum, in New Testament times, and 
gone out, early in the morning, to the shore of Lake 
Galilee and seen Peter, with the other men, coming 
ashore from his boat and been told that he would 
have a name and fame that would be world-wide, 
you would doubtless have said—“ Nonsense, such a 
thing is impossible.” But the impossible has come 
to pass. 

Consider this man not as crude and uncouth, as 
some have tried to make him out. His occupation 
of fishing required courage, vigour of body and a 
resourceful mind. The shore of Galilee was almost 
like one continuous city and Peter would con¬ 
stantly come in contact with the best life of his 
day. He owned his own boat and might have had 
helpers. 


Peter 


H3 

He was a religious man; a member of the Caper¬ 
naum Synagogue. He attended the big revival held 
by John Baptist by the River Jordan. 

His home was in Capernaum where he owned a 
house. He was married and his wife’s mother lived 
with him—Matthew 8:14; Mark 1: 28, 30. His wife 
evidently loved the work of Christ as he did, and 
accompanied him on his missionary tours, while Paul 
was on his, for Paul speaks of her—1 Corinthians 
9 : 5—as being with him. 

Peter and his brother, Andrew, were partners with 
James and John working out from Bethsaida, the 
fishing quarter of Capernaum—Luke 5 : 7-11; John 
1:44. 

Disciple of John Baptist and of Jesus.—The 

quartet of fishermen—Peter, Andrew, James and 
John—were attracted by John Baptist when he gave 
his great message of repentance by the River Jor¬ 
dan. How long they were with him we do not know 
—John 1: 29-51. 

When Jesus came to John Baptist He found there 
these fishermen intent upon knowing the way of the 
upward life. They were not satisfied simply with 
the material side of things but they wanted to know 
the way of the spiritual life—John 1: 35-42. Eager 
as they were—these men in their prime—for gain 
they were more eager to know the way of life. Jesus 
seems, at once, to have seen what Peter might become 
in his work for Him—John 1: 40-42. 

In this matter of discipleship many were attracted 
both to John Baptist and Jesus and seem to have 
been more or less closely attached to them, not how- 


144 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

ever giving up their whole time to them, to the ex¬ 
clusion of their occupations. 

The Apostle of the First Place. —Peter was 

chosen as the first apostle and retained this primacy 
until the last—Matthew 10:1-5; Mark 3:13-19; 
Luke 6:12-17. We do not know all the reasons why 
Peter was chosen to head the list of apostles but we 
do know that he had a very warm heart. He loved 
Jesus with all the strength of his nature. He had 
a keen mind—it almost flew to a conclusion. 

Take the discourse of Jesus at Capernaum on “ the 
Bread of Life ”—John 6 : 22-65—full of hard say¬ 
ings and where He shattered the hopes of the Jews 
that He was come as “ their Worldly Messiah.” 
Many turned away from Him—John 6: 66. Seeing 
many turn away—and maybe the apostles wavering 
—Jesus said—“ Unto the twelve, will ye also go 
away ? ” It was a critical moment. Peter at once 
saw the gravity of the occasion and the tremendous 
issue at stake and replied—“ Lord, to whom shall we 
go? thou alone hast the words of eternal life. And 
we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the 
Son of the living God ”—John 6: 68, 69. 

Jesus takes Peter with Him on His journeys. He 
sees and hears all that is done. He is a man whom 
He can trust—there is never any doubt about the 
fidelity of Peter under any and all situations. He 
was never afraid that he would betray his trust. He 
is with Jesus at His Transfiguration, in the Garden 
of Gethsemane and at the Resurrection. 

The Great Confession.—This is the crowning 
point in Peter’s career when he states clearly and 


Peter 


HS 

plainly—perceiving clearly—who Jesus is and what 
His mission is. Here again is shown the keenness 
of his mind and the warmness of his heart. 

Jesus asks of His disciples near Caesarea Philippi 
—“ Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?” 
Certainly this is a question right to the point and 
it needs a plain and convincing answer. It is a 
question that Jesus is ever asking in every age and of 
all men. It is hotly debated. Some are not sure. 
Some are very sure. But when it was first asked it 
was answered by Peter who had every opportunity 
to know how to answer it. He had heard and had 
seen all the wonderful things that Jesus said and did. 
He said—“ Thou art the Christ, the Son of the liv¬ 
ing God.” It is equally interesting to know what 
Christ said in reply. Did He waver? Did He hesi¬ 
tate? No—now was the time to come out with a 
straight answer—right to the point. Christ said— 
“Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and 
blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father 
which is in heaven ”—Matthew 16:13-17; Mark 
8:27-38; Luke 9:18-27. 

In commenting on His own reply Jesus goes 
farther and claims that He will come—“ In the glory 
of his Father with his angels; and then he shall re¬ 
ward every man according to his works ”—Matthew 
16 : 27. Surely Peter understood his Lord. 

The Loss and Recovery of Peter’s Faith.—The 
Scriptures would not be what they are if they did 
not record faithfully all that took place. Peter is 
human and has all the failings of humanity. Christ 
had told him with the other apostles that He must 


146 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

go up to Jerusalem and be crucified and raised the 
third day. Again and again had He said this. But 
when the time drew near and Jesus did go up to 
Jerusalem and stood trial for His physical life Peter 
no doubt was in a daze. Everything that He had 
stood for was tumbling. It did not seem possible— 
it could not be possible—that Jesus would allow Him¬ 
self to be placed on trial for His life. And yet He 
did—just as He had told His apostles. But Peter 
was crushed and denied his Master—forgetting that 
Christ said he would deny Him—Matthew 26: 62- 
75. 

But here Peter differs from many who, when they 
deny, do nothing. Peter went out and wept bitterly. 
It was a sad time for Peter until after the resurrec¬ 
tion of Christ. 

Peter is Very Prominent in the resurrection 
scenes of Jesus Christ—Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20 
and 21. In this prominence it is shown how fully 
Peter is forgiven and how fully he is reinstated in 
the love of his Master. 

In the Acts of the Apostles, while Jesus is the 
object of all that is said and done, Peter takes the 
lead for the first twelve chapters. In the eighth 
verse of the first chapter Christ sets forth Chris¬ 
tianity’s program and progress—“ Ye shall be wit¬ 
nesses unto me in Jerusalem, in Judsea and Samaria, 
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” 

It is Peter who directs in the choice of an apostle 
to take the place of Judas the traitor—Acts 1:15-26. 

It is Peter who preaches the first sermon after 
Christ’s ascension—Acts 2:1-40. 


Petei 


*47 


It is Peter who organizes the first Giristian 
Church with about three thousand members—Acts 
2:41. 

It is Peter who dares to go into the Temple and 
tell the people and the priests how they had wrong¬ 
fully killed “ the Prince of Life and Glory ” and 
that salvation is only through Him. This is a very, 
very different Peter from the one who denied his 
Master only a short time ago—Acts 3 and 4. 

It is in this period that the Christian Church is 
set up, upon its feet, the ordinances instituted and 
the first deacons chosen. 

It is in this period that the Church has its first 
martyr in Stephen and its first persecution under 
Saul—Acts 7 and 8. 

It is now that the first missionary enterprises go 
out into Judsea and Samaria—Acts 8 to 12. 

It is right here, in these first twelve chapters, un¬ 
der Peter's guiding hand, that we have the begin¬ 
nings of the “ Great Christian Enterprises ” that have 
filled the world. 

Peter has surely come a long way on “ the Upward 
.Way." 

He is “ the Ascending Man ” not for himself only 
but to help others to ascend out of the valley of sin, 
humiliation, trouble and despair to the sunny high¬ 
lands of God’s love and care. 

Read the First Epistle of Peter and note how he 
tries to cheer and comfort all who are depressed 
and downhearted. How he tries to make every one 
feel, as he feels, about the Christ. 

Back of all Peter is, what he is, because he believes 



148 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

in his Master, Jesus Christ, and in striving to make 
Him known to others. 

Characteristics. He was a splendid judge of 
values, of his Lord, of his fellow men, of things 
worth while. He was courageous in preaching Christ 
right where he had made his slip in his denial. He 
was exceedingly bold in talking to men who had 
crucified the Christ—he did not go away off some¬ 
where to say what he had to say. He did not wait 
for others but he took the lead, in doing good, be¬ 
cause some one had to take it and it seemed to fall 
to him. His motto seemed to be—“ Forget your mis¬ 
takes. Get on with your doing good.” 

Questions.—What can be said of the way of a 
man—up or down? What can be said of Peter— 
the fisherman? What of Peter—the disciple? Peter 
—the apostle of the first place—give some reasons 
for his appointment. What can be said of Peter’s 
loss and recovery of his faith? Give instances of 
Peter’s leadership in the Acts of the Apostles. State 
some of his characteristics. 


XXI 


PAUL 

THE MAN WHO BETTERED CITY CONDITIONS 

Seeking New Fields of Work.—With the open¬ 
ing of the thirteenth chapter of the Acts a new 
and important era in the story of Christianity begins. 
Barnabas and Saul (afterwards known as Paul) are 
called to new fields of work by the Holy Ghost— 
Acts 13:1-4. Barnabas drops out, after a while, and 
Paul is left to carry on the greatest and most strenu¬ 
ous missionary enterprise the world has ever seen. 

Why this insistent call to advance and conquer 
new territory f There were doubtless those who said, 
in those days, “ We have done well. Why trouble 
ourselves? See how much has been accomplished 
in the revival on the day of Pentecost and in the 
preaching of the Gospel in Judaea and Samaria, in 
Antioch and other cities. We may now, since so 
much has been done in such a short time, rest from 
our labours.” But this was not evidently the mind 
of the Holy Ghost. The pressing and stressing of 
the cause of the Christ was wanted even in places 
where there seemed little prospect of success. 

This is not only a call of the past. It is the Divine 
Call to-day. Any enterprise to live—much more to 
succeed—must be constantly seeking new ways for 
expansion. It cannot depend upon past successes— 

149 


150 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

no matter how great—or upon an acquired momen¬ 
tum. Men, of all sorts and kinds, and institutions, 
of all sorts and kinds, go down because the advance 
work is not pressed. We sometimes wonder what.is 
the matter with our churches that they do not grow. 
Is not this the trouble that no advance work is 
pressed? The Spirit of the Lord has not departed 
but the urgency to new and difficult work is un¬ 
heeded. If Paul had said—“ Surely there is enough 
work to be done here in Antioch and we have had a 
great success; let us be satisfied,” then he would 
never have been heard of by us in this far-off age. 
It was his willingness to go ahead, in spite of diffi¬ 
culties, that made him. With the Church of the past, 
so to-day, it is “ Grow or Go.” 

The Drive for the Betterment of the Big Cities. 
—The big city has been the problem of all times— 
politically, industrially, socially, morally, religiously 
and in countless other ways. Its very bigness makes 
it difficult to handle. Its poverty grows more dire, 
and the insolence of riches more insolent, as the city 
enlarges. Its evils multiply and fester and breed 
corruption as the population increases. One great 
difference between the cities of the first century— 
which Paul visited and worked with—and the cities 
of Christian countries of to-day is the way in which 
they handled the vice problem. Antioch, Ephesus, 
Corinth, and the others, put no check whatever upon 
moral viciousness. On the other hand they encour¬ 
aged it. They sought to make it attractive. They 
gilded it, enshrining it in their temples. Read 
Romans—1: 21-32—as a sample of this sort of thing 


Paul 


>51 


which is depicted in all of Paul’s letters. As appro¬ 
priations were made for streets and public buildings 
so also public moneys were set aside for the support 
and encouragement of immoral institutions. Such a 
course was thought to make the city attractive. 

Paul preaching Christ and purity of heart and 
life was up against a tremendous problem. All his 
letters show this. He taught that the betterment of 
the city must begin in cleansing it of moral vicious¬ 
ness. He saw a beauty of art and a perfection in 
architecture in Ephesus, Corinth and Athens which 
is unequalled to-day, but he saw that it had been 
made possible by unpaid slave labour and was used 
to debase men’s souls. He had no eyes for this 
beauty of art or architecture, not because he did not 
see it but because he saw the debasement of the 
moral image in man. He was intent upon restoring, 
in man, the image of God in Jesus Christ. If a 
plague is devastating a city a doctor has no time to 
observe the beauty of adornment of the houses to 
which he is called. Paul had no controversy with 
beautiful things, as things, but he was more con¬ 
cerned with the adornment of the soul in the beauty 
of purity and righteousness. 

We are still struggling with this primary problem. 
It is the greatest of them all. Get this settled right 
and all the others are settled. 

We can credit to Paul and his heed, of the call of 
the Holy Ghost, that cities in Christian countries at 
least do not strive to foster, or appropriate public 
funds to make moral vice attractive. They repress 
it. They put it under cover. As the city becomes 


152 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

more Christian it roots it out. But the best way 
is the way of Paul to have men so much interested 
in Christ that vicious things cease to attract. The 
more we see of Paul the more we admire his cour¬ 
age in attacking the big city strongholds of vice. 
The great thing is that the attack was success¬ 
ful. The Church needs to heed the Divine Call to¬ 
day. 

Paul—the Leader.—Paul is the principal char¬ 
acter in the Acts from the thirteenth chapter to the 
close as Peter is in the first twelve chapters. The 
Holy Spirit who is mentioned over fifty times in this 
book is the director of activities. See Acts 1:8; 
2:1-4; 13 :1-4; 16 : 6-10, etc. The splendid growth 
of the Church was made possible by heeding the Di¬ 
vine Calls. 

Qualifications of Paul.—Judged, as a man, by his 
record he is one of the very great characters, not 
only in the Bible but in all history. As a thinker he 
has few if any equals. As a writer his works stand 
preeminent. As a man of action, he, with small 
equipment, accomplished the largest results. He 
stirred cities as no man has ever stirred them. He 
had a strong and pleasing personality. He believed 
that his Master was the great regenerating force in 
the world. When he got to Corinth and saw there, 
what he had not seen before, the worst vices of the 
east meeting the worst of the west and mingling 
to make a perpetual festival of moral viciousness he 
declared his helplessness, himself, to handle the situ¬ 
ation and determined, as he afterwards wrote the 
Corinthians—1 Corinthians 2: 2—“ Not to know 


Paul 


*53 

anything among you save Jesus Christ and him cru¬ 
cified.” 

He was a native of Tarsus in Cilicia—Acts 22: 3ff. 
and 21:39. This city had a large commerce. It 
was one of the three big university centers ranking 
with Athens and Alexandria. It was morally cor¬ 
rupt having a “ Special Baal worship of an imposing 
but unspeakably degrading character.” 

He was a Pharisee Jew, as his father was—Acts 
23:6; Philippians 3: 5—and a free-born Roman citi¬ 
zen—Acts 22 : 25, 28. 

He had a good education upon which the finish¬ 
ing touches were put in Jerusalem under the great 
teacher Gamaliel—Acts 22: 3. 

He seems to have been well acquainted with Greek 
philosophy and literature. He quotes from the Greek 
poets—Aratus, Epimenides and Menander. 

He was a tent maker by trade, as every Jew boy 
had to learn a trade—Acts 18:3; 20: 34; 1 Corin¬ 
thians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 
3:8. 

The Persecutor.—Paul first appears—in Act9 
7: 58-60 and 8:1-4—at the martyrdom of Stephen 
and as the arch persecutor of the Christians for 
whom he had no mercy, hunting them out in their 
homes. He seems to have been absent from Jeru¬ 
salem, after completing his studies, all through the 
time of the preaching of John Baptist and Jesus. 

Conversion.—We open the book of Acts to 
8:1-4 and 9 :1, 2 and we find “ Saul . . . breath¬ 
ing out threatenings and slaughter against the disci¬ 
ples of the Lord.” 



154 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

Again we open this book to 9:19, 20 and we read 
—“ Then was Saul certain days with the disciples 
which were at Damascus. And straightway he 
preached Christ in the synagogues that he is the Son 
of God.” 

What has happened? There is only one answer 
and that is that he has had a remarkable conversion, 
which is described in Acts 9:3-18. This is the 
story as Luke tells it. Paul delighted to tell the 
story over and over again of his conversion. Various 
attempts have been made to explain away this con¬ 
version but they are more difficult to believe than the 
narrative itself. Read what Paul said about it— 
Galatians 1:11-17; Acts 22: 6-16; 26 :12-18. Paul 
believed that his Master had spoken to him. And 
he delighted to serve Him ever afterwards. 

The Ten Years’ Preparation for his work. The 
narrative in Acts runs so smoothly that we some¬ 
times fail to take note of the lapse of time between 
important events. As a result of Paul’s conversion 
the Jews tried to kill him and the Christians were 
afraid of him. After doing some work he seems to 
have spent much time, about ten years, in getting 
ready for what was afterwards his great missionary 
task. We are told by Paul what took place during 
some of this period of preparation—Galatians 1:15- 
24—and that he was in Arabia, in Damascus, in 
Jerusalem, Syria and Cilicia. The study of the 
Scriptures, the prayer and meditation of this ten 
year period helped Paul greatly afterwards. 

The Three Great Missionary Journeys (Acts 
13:1-21:16).—When the period of preparation is 



Paul 


155 

ended we find Paul at Antioch where he has been 
brought, from Tarsus, by Barnabas—Acts 11: 25, 26. 
Here he remained a year before the call came to his 
world-wide task—Acts 13 :1-4. 

The influence that the great missionary tours have 
had upon the history of mankind cannot be over¬ 
estimated. 

The time that it took to make the tours was about 
ten years and the distance covered, in miles, was 
about 8,100. The record of Luke does not pretend 
to be complete. We are given only the main inci¬ 
dents of the journeys. 

From Jerusalem to Rome (Acts 21:17-28:31). 
■—This record comprises more than one-quarter of the 
Acts’ chapters—seven and a half. We are here told 
what took place from the time Paul went up to 
Jerusalem and testified for his faith—through two 
years’ imprisonment in Gesarea—until he arrived in 
Rome. 

Letters of Paul.—Of the twenty-seven books of 
the New Testament twenty-one are in the form of 
letters from which we can get a clearer idea of what 
took place than in any other way. Thirteen are from 
Paul (if Hebrews be counted in—fourteen). They 
are not haphazard productions. They follow a 
clearly defined plan. There are four groups—1— 
The Future of Christ’s Kingdom—First and Second 
Thessalonians. 2—Old faiths and the new. Rela¬ 
tion of the Christ faith to the Jewish and Heathen 
faiths—Galatians, First and Second Corinthians, 
Romans. 3—The Supremacy of Christ—Colossians, 
Philemon, Ephesians, Philippians. 4—Pastoral 



156 Studies of Great Bible Characters 

and Personal—First Timothy, Titus, Second Tim¬ 
othy. 

To Sum Up.—In about thirty years the Gospel 
of Jesus Christ has been preached all over the 
Roman Empire. It has separated itself from Juda¬ 
ism and become the Great World Religion, just as 
Christ desired—Matthew 28:19, 20; Luke 24: 46- 
48. It has proved its power to overcome sin and 
evil in the greatest cities of its time. 

The Seen Forces are the men—Peter, Paul, John, 
James, Timothy, Titus and others. 

The Unseen Forces —the Holy Spirit and the 
Power of the Christ which were behind the men. 
They are behind those who will heed them to-day for 
the same splendid results. 

Questions.—What can be said about the Gospel 
seeking new fields of work—why this insistent call 
to advance? What may be said about the drive for 
the betterment of cities—in what does this better¬ 
ment consist? What can be said of Paul as a leader? 
What about his qualifications? The persecutor? 
What can be said of Paul’s conversion? The ten 
years’ preparation? What can be said of the three 
missionary journeys—From Jerusalem to Rome— 
Letters of Paul—The sum up? 


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An abridged Analysis of the first five Chapters is here given 

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This book has been translated into the Spanish lasyuag# 


273 Pages, J2mo 






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Hfc. Series of Historical Bible Studies from Genesis to 

Revelation 


6 PERIODS, 24 CHAPTERS 


PERIODS 

!N TUB 
BEGINNING 

II. 

THE 

THEOCRACY 



III. ( 9 - 
THE t 

KINGDOM ( Ja’ 

IV. ( ii 
THE ) 14. 

CAPTIVTY 1 15. 
jLNO RETURN (. 16. 

V. 

CHRIST 
ON EARTH 

YI. 

THE FIRST 
CHURCHES 



CHAPTERS 

Creation. 

The Garden of Eden. 

The Flood. 

The Ancient World. 

Abraham and the Chosen Peopla. 
Moses and the Exodus. 

Joshua and the Conquest. 

The judges of Israel. 

The Rise of the Kingdom. 

The Glory of the Kingdom. 

Division and Fall of the Kingdom, 
Prophets of the Kingdom. 

The Captivity. 

The Return from Exile. 

Prophets of the Exile and P.eturn, 
Malachi to Christ. 

The Advent of the Messiah. 

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The Resurrection and Ascension. 
Supremacy of Christ. 

The Churches in the Acts. 

The Epistles of Paul. 

The General Epistles. 

The Message of John to the Churches. 


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7. The Institutions of the Bible. 

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*»■?. Christian Life as Revealed in the Catacombs of Rome. 

23. Reasons why we Believe Christ to be Divine. 

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There are helps for the normal training of teachers, and 
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TEN CHAPTERS 


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2. The Church in Antioch. 

3. The Church in the Provinces. 

4. The Church in Rome. 

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